Soon after revealing their new single ”Birds Follow My Path”, Swedish five-piece OMNI OF HALOS join us with a brief interview below. An explosion of skewed alternative rock music, topped with rich pedal steel melodies and bittersweet vocals, the single is the first taste of the group’s debut, self titled full length album, which will be released later this year.
Henrik Hjelt Röstberg, frontman of Omni of Halos, commented: ”This riff came up some months ago, having my morning coffee and picking on my guitar on my couch. It felt like it was going to devour my brain; I couldn’t let it go. The lyrics came up laying in bed at night talking with my wife about how I try to pursue my dream, no matter how long it takes and how hard it is.”
Illustrated with the artwork by Viagra Boys’ Sebastian Murphy and produced by Per Stålberg and mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Kurt Vile), ”Birds Follow My Path” is out on all streaming platforms. The single is produced by Per Stålberg in Welfare Studios, mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur JR, Sonic Youth, Kurt Vile), and released on Lövely Records.
Omni of Halos feature members of Division of Laura Lee, Bombus, Sparks of Seven, De Lyckliga Kompisarna, Speed of Sound Enterprise, and Firebreather. The line-up is: Henrik Hjelt Röstberg – Vocals, Guitars, and Moog, Gabriel Unsgaard – Guitars and Vocals, Kyle Pitcher – Bass, Daniel Levin – Pedal Steel Guitar, Markkuu Mulari – Drums.
“The explosive, lurching ‘Care Free’, laden with lumbering riffs and, unusually, pedal steel melodies, is the Gothenburg band’s second single and title track of their forthcoming EP.”- Vive Le Rock
“Grungy, punk fuelled indie rock”- A Journal of Musical Things
“Thunderously heavy rock song with a ton of roots in both punk and the heavier side of garage rock.”- If It’s Too Loud
Invitingly warm yet intense and rugged, Omni of Halos arrives as a hypnotising explosion of noisy pop music derived from skewed, guitar-driven melodies. It is this honest blaze of creativity where Omni of Halos thrives and provides shelter to the misunderstood.
Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, Omni of Halos is a five-piece band with lo-fi tendencies but live in heavy alternative noise rock soundscapes. It’s beauty and darkness combined.
The band formed in late 2020, arising from various early Swedish indie and punk rock bands, and shortly after their formation, they entered Welfare Sounds Studio with Per Stålberg (Division of Laura Lee, Pablo Matisse, etc.). Equipped with a ton of riffs and a desire to explore what the studio surroundings would provide them as a recording unit, they came away from this first session having captured experimental and vibrant music that inspired them to continue down the same path. In quick succession Omni of Halos found their sound, navigated by blasting guitars interwoven with distinct, unorthodox pedal steel guitar melodies. A sound that producer and engineer John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Kurt Vile) further enhanced when he took on the opportunity to put the final touches on the recordings by mixing 10 tracks at his studio in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“We just wanted to play massive indie rock with no limitations or influences” says singer, guitarist and songwriter Henrik Hjelt Röstberg.
The meeting between John Agnello and Omni of Halos sparked what then became a friendship as the synergy between him and the band was something that extended beyond these first mixes. Af-ter working on the 10 tracks they continued working on more new music and that would then lead to Agnello crossing the pond, setting up in Sweden with the band to continue working. The recordings continued at the legendary Swedish studio Svenska Grammofonstudion and the result of that is will soon be released as the debut album.
“We aim to be a hard-working band, stay on the road and accomplish memorable live performances where our music is at its best.”, says Henrik Hjelt Röstberg.
Hey there guys! Thanks a lot for taking some time with us! How are you? How’s Gothenburg?
We are great! We’re planing a small show at home next week to celebrate our new single ”Birds follow my path”.
I’m heading to Göteborg and Norway in early August! I’m travelling with my wife and kids, so obviously I won’t be looking for any sweaty punk shows haha. But maybe you could recommend some cool spots to check out in the city?
Slottsskogen park is always nice with it’s free zoo. Out by the coast is always nice as well.
Is Göteborg your hometown? Tell me a bit about your background.
I grew up an hour away from Gothenburg in an industrial city called Trollhättan. There was really nothing to do there, growing up you ether did sports or played music. We had a great metal and punk scene at the time and I wasn’t really in to sports. So all I did was play music.
How is the city in the post-COVID era?
We never got hit with lockdowns, just minor restrictions. But there was no live music for a while. Now after the restrictions have lifted I think there so much going on and it’s hard to keep up.
Has the local music scene revived since the darkest pandemic days?
I think it might be harder for new and smaller bands to get a chance since the venues have been booked up for so long with bigger acts, but I think people eventually will get sick of it and do more DIY shows.
I hosted a bunch of amazing bands from Sweden, Gothenburg included. OROCHEN, Suicide Records, DISAVOW and a bunch more. What are some of the most outstanding active bands from the city our readers should look into if they haven’t already?
OOH there is so many sweet bands – I like Rome is not a town , Klass 2 band, Barrens, and Leaders Off are some of the bands that I’m into.
So how about you guys? What were some of your past projects, which of them stay active and how did OMNI OF HALOS come into fruition?
Me and Markku used to play together in division of Laura lee. They are still around but without us. Kyle used to play in band called fire breather, Daniel used to be playing in an old Swedish punk band called DLK. Omni Of Halos started out with me sitting around writing songs and doing demos. Then I got talked into doing something with it by my old band mate from division of Lauren lee, Per Stålberg, who runs a studio and produces bands in Gothenburg. So I gathered a bunch of friends to find out what this could lead into, then it took a new turn when we decided to reach out to producer John Agnello who set the final sound of what’s to come.
Apart from the pandemic mayhem, was there something else that effectively kept you from putting out your debut release a bit earlier?
We weren’t sure what to do with the material in the beginning so we just kept on recording. Some labels reached out to us but they all their plans where super far a head.
How did you team up with Lövely Records for this release?
It was Per who recorded us in the begging who told me to look in to Lövely he had been working with some of the bands they put out and he thought we’d fit in. Kaj who runs the label is super sweet.
The artwork for ”Care Free” (crafted by Sebastian Murphy of Viagra Boys) is just amazing! What inspired this chaotic drawing? How does it relate to the lyrics? What does it symbolise?
Sebastian is an old friend of mine. We are both Tattooers and I have seen his art since he started tattooing and it’s fucking great. We talked a bunch about what I was after then I sent him the record to use for inspiration and this wild peace of art came out. I loved it right away.
Ok guys, so what’s next? What plans do you have lined up for the rest of the year? Can we expect some live shows? I mean, your thick sounding organic vibes are destined to be performed live on stage!
We are definitely going to play shows while waiting for all our recorded material to come out. We are hoping to get to travel some in EU this fall, but who knows what will happen?
Thank you so much for your time! Feel free to share your final thoughts and take care! Cheers from Warsaw!
Thank you!
