I can’t recall the last time an album consumed my ears as much as this one; two days in and I’ve already spun it no less than fifteen times. Sweden’s I LOVE YOUR LIFESTYLE returns with their fourth studio album, Summerland, a sonic alchemy where Belle & Sebastian-esque indie pop-rock flirts unabashedly with math-tinged midwest emo. There’s a hearty splash of alt-emo pop-punk reminiscent of Spanish WILD ANIMALS, and even a hint of that unmistakable melodic pop punk vibe. However, reducing this band to mere genre labels would be an injustice—they’ve managed to concoct something uniquely refreshing, a cocktail of shout-along chants, mood shifts, and vocal timbres ranging from sweet to nostalgic, all sprinkled with Swedish lyrics that transform the atmosphere into an instant earworm.
Summerland, a long-awaited follow-up to 2020’s No Driver, is a bilingual journey—half in Swedish, half in English—delving into their roots with twinkly guitar riffs, grand choruses, and pristine harmonies that radiate high energy.
We’re ecstatic to celebrate this release with an exclusive interview, diving deep into the band’s journey over the past four years, the challenges of pandemic times, and the nuances of crafting Summerland. They reveal the delicate balance of band life with new fatherhood and the inspirations that shaped their latest work.
Stay tuned for the full interview below, where I LOVE YOUR LIFESTYLE shares more about their journey, inspirations, and what’s next for the band.
Also, be sure to keep an eye on Counter Intuitive Records, who consistently release great new music, putting out great tunes from bands like MACSEAL, ORIGAMI ANGEL, YAWNERS and OSO OSO, and more.
Hey guys, great to catch up with you! I just realized that the first time I mentioned you in our magazine was almost 10 years ago. It’s been almost 4 years since our last piece together, which was an interesting commentary on your previous album. How have these past four years been for you? How did the pandemic times look for the band? You released an album during a very difficult time—how did you spend the years leading up to today?
The pandemic and forward has been very characterized by 3 of us becoming fathers and everyone getting “real” jobs. Having very small kids in 2 different cities has meant time for the band is very precious but also very rare. It’s really a sign of strength that we have managed to prioritize the band enough to make this album happen.
A fourth album is no small feat, and every time I imagine you must wonder whether and how to change your approach to writing songs. Or does it just happen naturally as you grow and evolve personally? How was it this time? How did you approach constructing these tracks, and what were your musical inspirations?
It happens quite naturally. We never want to make the same song twice and pick up inspiration from a lot of different places. The writing process started right when I (Joel) became a dad for the first time, so that obviously had a big impact on the writing. We had also talked about doing more songs in swedish which made it more convenient to take inspiration from Swedish indie rock from the 90s-2000s.
Lyrically, there’s obviously no shortage of inspiration. Dark hardcore and metal bands with nihilistic themes have had a lot to write about lately, haha. What about you? What do you focus on, and how do you decide what lyrical themes to communicate in your songs? Has this changed compared to your previous release? Tell us about some selected tracks, or maybe a common thread that lyrically ties the whole album together.
Nothing has really changed in between the different releases lyrically in terms of methods on how to write and come up with themes etc. When Joel has finished the music for the demos, Lukas takes a couple of nights in bed to just write down what’s on his mind.
The album closer ’Plot Twist’ is about the state of mania during countless sleepless nights and the voice in your head that never stops reminding you of the fact that everything you ever do is meaningless.
And the song ’Givet’ touches the same topic but focuses even more on the realization of hopelessness. It’s about taking the good things in life for granted to the point where you inevitably lose them and finally nothing feels certain anymore.
Speaking of the album, the cover is as positive and fun as usual—can you tell us more about it?
It’s actually Joel’s oldest daughter holding a misprinted balloon during a party. It’s taken at Joel and Jonathan’s mothers summer house were a lot of the planning and inspiration for the band takes place, sharing and listening to a lot of music.
Why only seven songs on this album?
That’s just how it happened to turn out this time. It felt finished once we dropped a song or two.
How do you approach the language in your lyrics? Last time it was almost all in English. What about this time, and what does it depend on? How do you decide whether a song is in English or Swedish? Do you think about accessibility or even marketing aspects, whether the song or album will resonate with an international audience?
Deciding to make half the album in swedish made us inspired to finish it and everything fell into place. We never think about accessibility or marketing while creating since we don’t make any money from this. We only focus on what gets us exited!
My biggest discovery and absolute favorite when it comes to the combination of emo and Scandinavia is definitely the Norwegian band PROBLEMAN. They have a unique dialect, and their style is well-rooted—it all fits together well and sounds great, even though I have no idea what they’re singing about! Do you think Nordic languages fit well with Midwest emo? What do you think?
Totally! Norway has a lot of great bands right now! I honestly think that the midwest sound in Swedish or Norwegian just sounds like indie rock/pop from when we grew up. Maybe that’s why it resonated so well with us when we discovered the treasure chest that was the revival of the 2010s.
Are you planning to tour the US soon with a giant and pioneer of this scene and style?
In our dreams we do.
Seriously though, what are your concert plans for the coming months?
We’re trying to make something happen. Another kid in the band is coming any day now so that complicates things a little. A few shows and to record some new music is our plan for the nearest future!
We’re halfway through the year, so for those hungry for this style, what would you recommend? Any other releases or bands, maybe not just in this style, that have caught your ear and are already on your best albums list of the year?
We are so super grateful to get to work with counter intuitive records because they’ve been killing it for a long time with great releases. Macseal, origami angel, oso oso are super good.
The band called equipment is great. The new speed record is massive although it’s hardcore. Lots of good stuff out there but it’s hard to keep up.
Let’s bring it closer to home—are there any local bands or artists in your area, not necessarily in this style, that you would recommend? Our magazine is always interested in discovering new, independent, and alternative artists, so feel free to share some recommendations with comments.
Our live tambourine player has his own ship of a band in ‘Gula blend’.
Hardcore has been blowing up in Gothenburg lately, Sidestep and Nuggets are some cool bands.
The Norwegian emo bands; Probleman and Flight Mode.
Honestly I’m more out of the loop than ever and don’t know what’s going on right now. I could choose to blame having small kids but I choose not to.
Thanks so much for your time. Is there anything else you’d like to add? We’re happy to pass on any message, not just about music but maybe some other topics.
Not really. Take care of each other and don’t give up on a better world.
Thanks a lot, take care, greetings from Warsaw, have a great summer and album release, and I hope the next six months are fantastic for you! Take care, bye!
Thank you <3
