Vacum from Sundsvall is releasing their new
album in the days (October 23, 2026) and it's
their fifth album and it's so much fun so I had
to do an interview with Mats about this.
Skrutt:
New album, tell me a little about how the
thoughts went on a new album, how long it took
to record etc etc
Mats:
We reunited for a gig in 2018 and then had to go
without a keyboard as none of Magnus or Cathrine
could join. Then we found a new entry point on
the later synth-based material when we only had
bass, guitar and drums. Out of sheer speed, we
recorded an album with guitar-based versions of
the songs as well as a cover that we often
played with Unter den Linden. Then we tried to
write new things over the internet. We're very
spread out as our drummer lives in Amsterdam,
guitarist in Stockholm and me and the bassist in
Sundsvall. It didn't work out at all. So we
throwed away all the song shells we had done up
until then and started from scratch by meeting
without any preparation whatsoever in the
Nevostudio in the summer of 2024 and seeing what
happened. And it came off at once. Then the
songs started to come as if on a rosary so there
was a session for the summer of 2025 and then we
have hung up and filed and this spring it was
finished. And now is being released... It has
been a really fun process
Skrutt:So
this will be your fifth fulllength or do you
count it as the fifth considering that the
fourth came on as an extra record on Rädd för
tystnaden?
Mats:
Yes. I think it should probably be counted as
our fifth album.
Skrutt:
I understand that .....tell me a little about
every member who is in the band now, previous
bands and bands on the side?
Mats:
Oh. Me and Anders Olsson who plays bass also had
Crompojkarna after Vacum. Anders plays and has
played with lots of projects like Motorjoke,
Krämen. Giraffes & Other things, Bluesbutchers
etc. Stephan who plays guitar has mostly worked
as a sound engineer and a bit of a producer and
educator. Patrik Högl was in a lot of Stockholm
bands (which I don't remember the name of now)
after Vacum and has played in countless cover
bands in Amsterdam.
Skrutt:So
it's just you and Anders who have been there
from the beginning then, right? Did the other
original members not want to join or couldn't
join?
Mats:
We are all original members from 1983 We felt
that we found something the four of us that we
wanted to spin on so we went for it...
Skrutt:
Sorry then I got it wrong.....nice to have my
own record label to release your records on, I
can think so you don't have to share and nag
with others and make all the decisions yourself
right?
Mats:
Haha. Yes. But we felt that we needed a sounding
board so we have had Anna Lindholm who has been
our opinion-person who has tried to get control
of us and find new courses to think about. It's
fun to decide everything yourself but good to
have someone to play with.
Skrutt:
Who is Anna?
Mats:
She has worked at the record label Icons
Creating Evil Art and is an old friend.
Skrutt:
Aha....but you have a lot of other girls on the
new record too, tell me?
Mats:
It's been a fun journey. We got the hard rock
singer Marina Ammouri, singersongwriter Amanda
Norevik and Emma Härdelin from Garmarna and
Triakel. It has been developing and taken the
songs in unexpected directions. We are so happy
to have them on board!
Skrutt:
Will be exciting to hear on the record.....any
special thought with the title Dum Dum Tiden?
Mats:
That particular song is a bit of a reaction to
the fact that science and other knowledge don't
count as well as the feeling. That the feeling
rules and then it won't be entirely
successful... A reaction to a slightly stupid
time...
Skrutt:
Yes, there is a lot of shit these days, do you
think you have political lyrics?
Mats:
To some extent. Yes. It's hard not to have an
opinion on the state of the world and even if
it's not quite the same things as when we
started that we write about, it's still
important to stand for something.
Skrutt:
Tell us a little about the song with the title
Allsång med rösterna i mitt huvud?
Mats:
It was written based on the hallucinations I had
due to Covid and at the same time as I poured on
and wrote, my daughter said something about "Singalong
with the voices of my head" and then everything
fell into place.
Skrutt:
Horrible hallucinations or what? Or were they
nice?
Mats:
Scary from the beginning but after a while you
got used to it and became a little friends with
them...
Skrutt:
Sounds good....do you write lyrics best when
you're happy or down? Never difficult with
inspiration for lyrics?
Mats:
Oh. Difficult. The difference this time is that
a lot has been written in the studio and in some
cases improvised. So they are maybe a little
simpler but more singable
Skrutt:You
have never written lyrics in English I hope for
your groups?
Mats:
Well. Done a few but not that turned out well or
used.
Skrutt:
How good, because lyrics in Swedish I think
gives more....which is your absolute best text
you have written?
Mats:
Oh. Help. Difficult. Often it's the symbiosis
between text and music that lifts both. Two that
I'm proud of are Dagar i morgon and Hon bor i
väggarna
Skrutt:
Good songs. Do you have any material that has
never been released and that is lying around and
should be released?
Mats:
We wrote an insane amount of material during our
active years, but we've recycled the best of it
over the years so most of what makes sense is
out. So there's nothing to re-release. We
digitized the last unreleased songs in 2020 so
all that stuff is out. Then we're going to
collect everything in a box eventually...
Skrutt:
Sounds good and then it won't be a compilation
LP with all the single songs?
Mats:
Yes. We have mastered one of those but not
pressed it so it will be in the box and maybe
separately... We'll see...
Skrutt:
Sounds like something you long for. Which record
on Massproduktion do you think is the best you
have released and which one has sold the most?
Mats:
Oh. There are so many I'm proud of. Can't
choose. Guds Spelemän with Garmarna is the
bestseller anyway.
Skrutt:
Can I imagine....is there any really good bands
besides the ones on Massproduktion today that
you can recommend? Or do you not have time to
listen to so much music?
Mats:
Ok. I listen to most of it. Favorite right now
is the Estonian folk duo Duo Ruut but also
Christian Kjellvander and Svart Ridå. But then
there comes a lot of fun punk from Sundsvall
like Folkhemmet, ill jill and Soy and The Boys
and bands like Kubal. Forgot Hårdgnissel from
Sundsvall
Skrutt:
So punk lives on well in Sweden, did you call
your punkband at some point and how is your
relationship with punk?
Mats:
We saw ourselves as a punk band even if we
didn't look like it. Then we developed but
everything we did had roots in punk. So yes -
the relationship with punk is good. When we
started over in 2018 it was just the simplicity
of punk on guitar, bass and drums that we wanted
to go back to. On the new album we have expanded
the framework and brought in more influences but
the roots are there.
Skrutt:
When you play out with other bands is it mostly
punkbands or what is the kind of band you play
with? What is the most odd band you have played
with?
Mats:
Now there will be quite a few gigs with this
edition since we are so spread out. But maybe
the most odd but nice gigs was when we played
with Rolf Wickström's blues band in Härnösand.
It was the first gig outside Sundsvall and they
were super nice and let us borrow their stuff
and were generally decent to a punkband on shaky
knees for the first time outside Sundsvall.
Skrutt:
It should have been nervous....when you have
played in recent years, is it those who were
there before who are there and have become older
or have you drawn younger audiences as well?
Mats:
It's been mixed. Half old and half new. But
there have been a lot of galas we play at so it
will be exciting to see how it looks now on
October 31 at Pipeline when we play ourselves.
Skrutt:
The last question now.....the future plans for
the band is the release of Dum Dum Tiden and the
gig at Pipeline, the future plans otherwise for
the group and for Massprodution?
Mats:
Now all the focus is on the gig at Pipeline
where we will have guests and other fun. We aim
to do more gigs in summer/autumn 2027 with Vacum.
For mass production, there will be nice albums
with Mögel, ill jill, The Confusions and
Brankowitch Project.