Henrik Lysell on ‘I Think It Hurts’: ‘Don Juan Dracula show their slower, more personal side as they turn from red to black’
Don Juan Dracula released the downtempo single “I Think It Hurts” on October 23, 2026. Henrik Lysell talks about the cover, the video and an album for 2027.
(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange. Photos by Tom Lund) Norwegian band Don Juan Dracula released “I Think It Hurts” on October 23, 2026 through Switch Off Records. The band usually mixes synthpop, rock and indie into energetic, catchy songs – the new single is a slower, more sombre downtempo track. The digital release pairs the original with a remix by Mörmaid.
Mörmaid is the project of Oslo-based producer, songwriter and vocalist Live Sollid Schulerud. She released her debut album “Pearlescent Dark” on May 23, 2024, and opened for Don Juan Dracula at Goldie in Oslo on May 23, 2025.
We’ve written before about their comeback single “Burn”, the SnifferGod rework of that track and the follow-up “Be The Same“, while realizing too late that their third single last year, “Play With Me“, went under the radar (slap on my hand for that!).
The new song differs from the previous releases in several ways, from the tempo to the cover and the video. In an email interview a week after the release, vocalist and songwriter Henrik Lysell talked about all three, as well as the band’s plans for 2027.
Interview: Henrik Lysell on Don Juan Dracula’s ‘I Think It Hurts’
Side-Line: The slower tempo, less playful, more serious-themed – is “I Think It Hurts” a new direction for DJD? Or complementing/balancing other songs?
Henrik Lysell: I wouldn’t really call it a new direction. I write quite a few slower songs, but they don’t all end up being released as singles or making it onto an album. We love playing upbeat music and getting a party going, but this is another side of Don Juan Dracula.
“I Think It Hurts” came about while I was sitting in the basement with my Moog Sub 37, singing whatever came out. I hadn’t written any lyrics beforehand. I just needed to get something off my chest, and this song was what came out of that.
There’s no doubt we’re entering a slightly darker period. The red is giving way to black, and the cover reflects that shift. But we’re still Don Juan Dracula, so there will always be a playful side to what we do.
Side-Line: The cover image breaks with previous styles – I think someone mentioned that it was a family member?
HL: The photo is actually of my grandmother, Eva, my dad’s mother. She’s no longer with us, and although she was always proud of me, she probably would have refused to let me use this particular photo on the cover! I loved her with all my heart, and she was a very important person in my life. I’ve always loved this picture. There’s something about it that I find visually beautiful, and it felt right for this song.
Side-Line: And the video is also quite different from the previous ones of the last few years; no AI, just getting ready to go on stage. What inspired that idea?
HL: Honestly, it started with a lack of time. We wanted to release the song now, and it needed a video, so we went back to footage from our show at Artilleriverkstedet last December, where we played to 400 people.
What I like about it is that you get to see behind the scenes, beyond the glossy AI videos and the stage personas. It’s us backstage, getting ready, being together. There’s a lot of friendship and love in this band, and I think that comes through. It doesn’t tell the story of the lyrics directly, but it shows the people behind the song. That felt right for something this personal.
Side-Line: How has the feedback on the release been so far?
HL: The feedback has been really good. People seem to appreciate hearing a slower, more vulnerable side of us. And the Mörmaid remix is insanely cool. We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better result. There will probably be more downtempo songs from us in the future too.
Side-Line: Any future plans and releases?
HL: Definitely. We have lots of songs nearly finished, so there’s plenty of new music coming, with an album planned for 2027. We’re incredibly proud of what we’re working on, and I don’t think we’ve ever felt more creative.
On December 12, we’re back at Artilleriverkstedet in Horten for our Christmas party show, just like last year, and we’re aiming for another packed house. Expect old favourites alongside plenty of new songs. The visual side is changing too, with the red giving way to black. You’ll see a slightly darker, more serious Don Juan Dracula, but we still know how to throw a party. See you at the show!
Tickets for Don Juan Dracula at Artilleriverkstedet on December 12, 2026
Stream “I Think It Hurts” here: Spotify | Apple Music | Deezer | Amazon Music | Tidal | YouTube Music | Pandora | iHeartRadio
About Don Juan Dracula
Don Juan Dracula come from Åsgårdstrand in Horten, Vestfold, and used Oslo as their home base in the early years. The band mixes guitar-based pop with synthesizers and electronics, and performs in white suits. The first official release, the “Perfect Girl EP”, came out on Switch Off Records on February 11, 2002, with songs by vocalist and guitarist Henrik Lysell and keyboardist Henning Krane, and Ola Eriksen on bass. The “Happy Boy EP” followed on April 28, 2003.
With Thomas Lute on drums, the band recorded the debut album “Young Debutantes II” with producer Alex Møklebust of Seigmen and Zeromancer, mostly at the band’s own rehearsal studio. Switch Off Records released it on March 7, 2005, shortly after the “Take Me Home EP”, a remix release built around the album’s lead single. On August 12, 2005, Don Juan Dracula opened Øyafestivalen in Oslo by landing in a rented helicopter next to the stage while their local school band played.
After the tour for the album, the band took a short break, then returned in 2006 with shows in New York and at Beijing Pop Festival, where Placebo and Supergrass were also on the bill. The second album, “New Sensation”, followed on June 23, 2008. The band recorded and produced it themselves, with mixing by Ed Buller and Stephen Hague. It remained their last release for almost 17 years.
The comeback started on February 14, 2025 with the self-produced single “Burn”, with Fredrik Fagerli Dahle as the new drummer. Møklebust remixed the track as SnifferGod in March 2025, and “Be The Same” came out on April 11, 2025.
On May 23, 2025, the band played Goldie, their first Oslo concert in 17 years. “Play With Me”, with the B-side “Bloquée”, followed on October 31, 2025, and on December 13, 2025 the band played a Christmas show at Artilleriverkstedet in Horten.
The current lineup is Henrik Lysell (vocals, guitar), Henning Krane (synth), Ola Eriksen (bass), Fredrik Fagerli Dahle (drums) and Dino Trto (guitar). “I Think It Hurts” is the band’s first release of 2026, arriving a year after “Play With Me”. Don Juan Dracula plan an album for 2027 and return to Artilleriverkstedet on December 12, 2026.
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Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉
