SOURCE – The fourth studio album Brittle Bones comes 5 years after Black Soul Choir. Did you have any apprehensions about making the new record this many years away from the scene, and at what point in the process did you know everything was going to be just fine for Wolves Like Us?
Larsh Kristensen (Vocals, Guitar) – Hey, so there were definitely moments where I was thinking «we’re never going to make another record». We had dark times, but we made a demo in 2017 I think, and that showed a lot of promise. Our drummer Jonas moved back to Oslo around then, and that made thing easier as well. Everyone had been really busy with our jobs and being dads, so the band naturally had to take a break for a while. But once I heard the demos for finished songs and started getting ideas for vocals, I knew we were going to finish the record.
SOURCE – Which songs do you believe came the easiest to write and record on the album – and what tracks maybe went through numerous revisions or changes to get to the final cut?
Larsh Kristensen (Vocals, Guitar) – This time it’s been a lot of different processes. Some songs were demoed like 10 times, a couple Espen made and we all arranged like Stand Up To Get Down, some songs I made like Property of Dortmund…, and some were an equal collaboration like On The Low. All the riffs come from me or Espen, and then we arrange it thru trial and error. Jonas also has a lot of strong ideas when it comes to arranging as well. The easiest was probably Stay Cold, because it was an old song from around Black Soul Choir, and I had pretty much a good idea for where it was going once Espen wrote the riff for the chorus, it made my ideas work. The hardest from my perspective was the last one, Plastic On The Fire… because it’s really, REALLY hard to sing and the riff on the chorus goes in a completely different feel than the vocals. I pretty much had no belief in that song until we laid down the vocal, and it tied the whole thing together, plus Gared from Planes really helped out a lot on that one.
SOURCE – Where do you see the major differences between how business was conducted during your time on Prosthetic Records and how things are now with Pelagic Records? Have you had to adjust your strategy in terms of promotion to keep up with the times?
Larsh Kristensen (Vocals, Guitar) – We were really happy with Prosthetic, their man in England called Duncan is a real good friend now, and we wouldn’t exist without him. Duncan rules. The collaboration with Pelagic is really new, we only started working with Robin and Paul in May – but so far they’ve been really supportive and have done a lot for us. Pelagic is more hands on, they are more directly involved, something I really like. Plus, I really like a lot of the bands on the roster, and it’s cool to be a part of something like that. Robin and Paul are real DIY dudes, and as an old punk that is something I appreciate. We couldn’t be happier about Pelagic picking us up.
SOURCE – What are your thoughts on the Norway music community – as it seems to have developed its own distinct flavor and characteristics, where a multitude of musicians and bands have been able to succeed internationally as a result?
Larsh Kristensen (Vocals, Guitar) – Damn, this is where I show my age. I mean, from a punk and hardcore perspective theres stilll things happening, good bands, some good clubs like BLÅ and Revolver are still working their asses off to promote shows – but I feel like especially rock music is slowly fading out in Oslo. We still have huge bands, Kvelertak, all the established black metal bands, and younger bands are coming up and through and they’re all to some degree flavored by the metal scene which is unique and great, like Attan, Sibiir and Sâver. We on the other hand, we’re not really part of that scene per se, we come from the more punk side of things – so i’d say we are more of a outlier. But we’ve never been interested in anything besides making music we like, you know. I’m too old to care at this point. I just play what I like and what resonates to me.
SOURCE – Do younger musicians ever try to hit you up for advice, and if so what pearls of wisdom do you share?
Larsh Kristensen (Vocals, Guitar) – If theres one thing I would say its this: play from the heart. If you make music to get popular, you make a diluted piece of work and people know it. Theres too much watered down crap in the world and we don’t need more of it. Play from the heart.
SOURCE – What worries you most about the world that we live in currently? What do you think people need to focus on to make the world a happier, safer, and better place?
Larsh Kristensen (Vocals, Guitar) – I can only speak for myself, but it’s climate change and the lack of political will to do anything about it. Climate change is real, and we all have to accept the fact that we all have to make sacrifices. I’m very critical of consumer culture, how every single thing is packaged and sold to you with a disposable mindset, like plastics and fucking flying everywhere like theres not a care in the world. People put their heads in the sand and pretend its all going to be fine. Its really disgusting. Jair Bolsonaro is an asshole, by the way. Fuck that guy. Save the rainforest, don’t burn it!
SOURCE – What are your other interests outside of the music realm?
Larsh Kristensen (Vocals, Guitar) – Again, I can only really speak for myself. I’m very much a student of art, film and literature. I’m probably the most politically minded of the four of us, and what I was taking about in the previous question takes up a lot of my time. When it comes to more mindless things, I’m also a huge football fan, I love it, and I wish Norway had just 10% of the talent you guys have in Brazil. No chance though, haha, but I’d love to watch a real game in Brazil. And I dabble with Brazilian Jiu jitsu when I can, which is too seldom. I dont know if that relates to you being from Brazil, but I’ve trained for about 5 years and I really love it. I’m a blue belt, I train at Roger Gracie Academy in Oslo. Everyday porrada, if you know what I mean.
SOURCE – What’s planned following the release of Brittle Bones?
Larsh Kristensen (Vocals, Guitar) – We want to tour. We’re doing a very short run with Planes Mistaken For Stars in December. Hopefully were doing an EU tour in 2020 and we’ve agreed that we have to tour the U.S. on this record. That is the main priority, because we’ve never toured the U.S. with this band. Hopefully we will get some festivals in the summer too. After that, I have no idea man. We will take it as it comes. If you book us in Brazil, that would be amazing! Thank you for supporting our band!
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