Genre/Influences: Indie-Pop, Wave-Pop, Dream-Pop.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Swedish duo Jan Strandqvist – Susanne Jonsson aka Red Mecca are back on track unleashing their seventh full length album. We get seventeen new songs -which next to the digital format, is also available as a double vinyl.

Content: Red Mecca likes to mix related music genres together. They remain faithful to their Electro-Pop roots but are still walking on other sonic paths getting the sound more Indie-like but also Wave-Pop orientated. Some tracks are more electro driven while others are accentuated by guitar playing always with the graceful and passionate vocals of Susanne Jonsson on top.

+ + + : The album is available in vinyl and it definitely looks really artistic and professional. And so is the production as well; reflecting maturity and a band which has created a personal sound. The songs are accessible for a wider audience. Personal favorites are “Are We Having Fun Yet?” and “Eyes On Mars” which both sound a bit more electro-driven. Susanne Jonsson remains a talented singer injecting the spirit into this work -and band.

– – – : The album is missing a true potential hit which is probably what Red Mecca is missing to gain a wider recognition.

Conclusion: Easy listening and fully enjoyable music became trademark of Red Mecca.

Best songs: “Are We Having Fun Yet?”, “Eyes On Mars”, “The Longest Hour”, “Because Girls Fucking Rule”, “Miss You So feat. Dennis Hansson”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.redmecca.se / www.facebook.com/redmeccasundsvall

Label: www.massproduktion.com / www.facebook.com/Massproduktion

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Swedish formation Red Mecca was originally set up by Jan Strandqvist (music) and Frida Madeleine (vocals). Frida Madelaine left after four albums and got replaced by Susanne Jonsson. The brand-new duo first released “Truth” in 2019 and this year stroke back with the sixth album “Away” featuring eight songs and again released on Massproduktion. Red Mecca is a band mixing different influences like Electro-Pop, Indie-Pop, Shoegaze,  Electro-Wave… but “Away” definitely sounds as their most accomplished work to date. I asked a few questions to Jan.

(Picture credits by Lia Jacobi / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Red Mecca has been set up for while now. What do you consider as being the major facts in the band’s history? And what have been the main points of satisfaction so far?

Jan: As from the reboot of Red Mecca in 2013, when Frida Madelaine joined in as vocalist and together we steered in a direction of, mostly mine, Post-Punk roots, we planned to have an open mind and refused to be boxed-in into a typical genre. When we released“Electricity”in 2016 and got the chance to meet up with people working with the alternative scene in Berlin and we played at Urban Spree and the day after NCN-festival, it was like an awakening. The pieces came together.

Later that year we were nominated to best Electronic act from Sweden at the Manifest Award and we won. That was of course a confirmation, which was fun and a self-confident boost. For some days. Then I was back in doubt which seems to be 90% of my waking time.

WGT 2018 was also a fucking blast! And the soundtrack sync for two episodes of “Killing Eve”with “I See Darkness In You”was of course surreal joy. “Killing Eve” was one of my favorite TV-shows beforehand and I think the composition of the scenes were quite as sublime and perfect as I wished them to be.

But, to be honest, I think the main point of satisfaction is the privilege to be able to create something that could be important to other people. In one way or another. Something that maybe can give people strength. I don´t know. I mean, music givesmecourage and strength. It´s one of the most important ways to just to feel. And to travel in your mind. With your mind.

Q: You earlier this year released your sixth album “Away”, which is the second full length together with singer Susanne Jonsson. How did the collaboration evolved from the “Truth”-album (2019) towards “Away”?

Jan: Every album is sort of an experiment and the end result is somewhat surprising every time in comparison to the naive plan you have from start. When we made “Truth”, we hadn´t got to know each other so well in a musical sense and there´s maybe a lack of a red thread. There´s less of a pronounced integrality so to speech. When working with “Away”, we were more comfortable with what we were to accomplish. We were more secure in our roles. Susanne added much atmosphere both in various vocal style and in the lyrics, which were important for the end result. We both felt what direction it should go.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the writing- and recording process of “Away”? What is this new work all about and what has been the main focus –and eventually challenge, in the accomplishment of this work?

Jan: We always begin the process with an album to paint up a rough sketch of a plan and then hopefully launch the flow-machine and then it turns out to form into something else, haha. We were in the middle of a pandemic and the Trump administration were crazier than ever and there was much fucking turmoil in the world. The state of affairs colored the work and the album, and it came to be about just that. Not as poster politics, but in a more subtle way. What was happening to our emotional life due to what was happening… sort of.

Music is, in my opinion, all about emotions and I wanted to tune in. Receive and broadcast. But it´s always a challenge to tame and harness the flow of things that wants to come out. It´s such an abstract process and hard to describe.

Me and Susanne managed to start up a new level of interaction and interplay and the goal was clearly something we both understood.

Q: I personally consider “Away” as your greatest accomplishment so far. But do you consider each new/last album as being the best one? And how do you see and consider this album in Red Mecca’s discography?

Jan: Thanks! It´s in the nature of the work process. It would be devastating, speaking for myself of course, to feel that during work, that this is not sufficiently good enough in comparison with former work and releases. I think I would consider to stop doing what I´m doing and call it a day. As an artist, I don´t know. I think all the albums we´ve done are in one way or another an exactly mirror of the music we were able to perform in that moment of time. I´ve thought a thousand times: ‘I couldn´t possible have more music left to create’, but I´ve been wrong every time.

I´m not kidding if I say that I’ve got about one thousand songs/tracks in my computer that never will be released. It´s like a surplus of composing. “Away” is a successful snapshot, if I may say and I like it a lot. But you get a  healthy distance to every album after a while.

Q: You also have a new single out, “Into Prayer” featuring KMRS. Can you tell us a bit more about the song and this collaboration? And what do you think about people affirming releasing albums make no more sense since most of the people today are using  streaming platforms?

Jan:  I discovered KMRS by chance and liked her harsh lyrics and flow of British style Rap/spoken word and came curious if it would fit in anything. I was in the process of making “Into Prayer” and contacted her (and she really liked us)  and got an acapella and it was like perfect. The only kind of Rap I like is British artists like Ghostpoet, M.I.A, Sleaford Mods and Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip for an example. It´s not Hiphop you know. It´s something else. I was really into the Hiphop scene in the beginning of the 90’s. Public Enemy, Disposable Hereoes Of Hipoprisy and such.

Anyway, there´s more to come in that collaboration. Probaby a new really heavy club track 12″ stand-alone maxi for the dancefloor.

Well, I work in a vinyl record store and I was raised with LP’s, so I don´t really care about it´s not making sense. Since when did anything in life make sense? I still think albums are awesome in every way. I listen to albums all the time on streaming platforms as well. Yeah, I know, the kids just listen to fast playlists. They listen to music in a new way. Ok. Let them. But I really don´t think that albums are vanishing because of that. We still have books, don´t we?

Q: How do you see Red Mecca evolving and what are the further plans?

Jan: We´re currently in the finishing state of a double album, which will be released mid 2022 in shallah. May seem like hubris, but hopefully it´s going to be our Magnum Opus haha. Some remixes are on their way too. We´ve, however, decided to not play live until 2022. The unintentional pause of live performances 2020-21 have made us realize that we have to reboot and invent ourselves again before entering the stage. We have to come up with something new regarding stage plot and everything. We haven´t been rehearsing anything in almost a year. We’ve just been focused on composing.

And I´m an addict and alcoholic and after ten years of sobriety, I plunged myself into a relapse, mid pandemic, which almost killed me. So it´s been some time of rehabilitation and finding spirituality again, so to speak. But now I´m back on track. So we´re not going to tie us up with things feeling stressful. We have a rough plan, but we´ll leave the BIG plans just for now. But I´m getting eager to come out and play live again. That´s for sure.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Wave-Pop, Indie-Pop, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Here’s album number six for the Swedish formation Red Mecca. Driven by Jan Strandqvist and singer Susanne Jonsson, “Away” features eight songs.

Content: The work takes off in a rather Shoegaze way and progressively moves back to the Wave/Indie-Pop approach of the band. The songs are alternating between evasive passages and more elevating songs. The final track has something deeply Cinematographic. 

+ + + : Red Mecca is a band with an own sound and approach. They don’t exactly innovate, but create a refreshing sound with good-old influences. The opening piece “All Those Stored Errors” reveals something different and definitely Shoegaze driven. But the best song is definitely “Let Me In”, which is more melodic and carried by a solid chorus. Red Mecca confirms to have a nose for elevating choruses at “The New Way”. And there’s also something to say about the accomplished and beautiful last song “Chimera”.

– – – : If the A-side of the vinyl is sometimes a bit hesitant, the second side reveals all the potential and composing skills of Red Mecca.

Conclusion: Red Mecca moves on composing enjoyable music, but this work definitely sounds like their most accomplished production to date. Both members have found a right balance between music and vocals.

Best songs: “Let Me In”, “The New Way”, “Chimera”, “All Those Stored Errors”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.redmecca.se / www.facebook.com/redmeccasundsvall

Label: www.massproduktion.com / www.facebook.com/Massproduktion

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, indie-pop. 

Background/Info: “Truth” is Red Mecca’s fifth full length album since they reactivated in 2013. This album is however a special one as it’s the first opus featuring the new singer Susanne Jonsson who replaced Frida Madelein while Jan Strandqvist is still taking care of the music. 

Content: The songs remain driven by electro-pop influences, but the global atmosphere became darker and also indie-like. One of the songs (cf. “Our Story Told”) even reminds me a bit of Björkk. The tracks are carried by a slow cadence injecting a sensual touch. There also is something wafting emerging from the songs. 

+ + + : It’s not an easy thing for a band to move on with a new singer, but the transition from the previous releases towards “Truth” has been remarkably accomplished. Susanne Jonsson has a sensual and sometimes fragile timbre of voice, which is fitting with the sound of the band. I especially like her vocals on “Truth”. It also is the most convincing song from the album for its darkness and indie-approach. Red Mecca sounds far away from the Swedish electro-pop formations and brings something more personal. I also have to say a word about the great digipak format of this album. 

– – – : The main regret I have when listening to “Truth” is that most of the songs don’t really reach a climax. There’s much more potential in this album than what came out. 

Conclusion: Red Mecca remains a rather unknown formation from the electro-pop scene. I think they deserve more recognition and they definitely have the potential to break through. 

Best songs: “Truth”, “Our Story Told”, “Hold Your Breath”, “A Dark Place”. 

Rate: (7½). 

Artist: www.facebook.com/redmeccasundsvall 

Label: www.massproduktion.com / www.facebook.com/Massproduktion 

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, indie-pop. 

Background/Info: Swedish electro-pop formation Red Mecca wanted to do something special. So they released this 12” featuring two cover versions; one from Hot Chocolate and the other from Donna Summer while the music was composed by Giorgio Moroder. 

Content: Both songs bring us back to the golden years of disco music, but Red Mecca transposed both songs into their own electro/indie-pop style. “Every 1’s A Winner” is sung by rather fragile vocals while driven by a carrying chorus while “Working The Midnight Shift” sounds more elaborated and featuring heavier vocals. 

+ + + : This release is the perfect format for cover versions. The production sounds professional while both songs have been successfully adapted into a cool indie-pop approach. I especially like the “Working The Midnight Shift”, which has more potential and which is driven by the great singing of Susanne Jonsson (the new vocalist). 

– – – : Releasing cover versions of great songs and/or famous artists always remain a tricky business. 

Conclusion: This vinyl is an interesting intermezzo to welcome the new full length by Red Mecca. 

Best songs: “Working The Midnight Shift”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/redmeccasundsvall 

Label: www.massproduktion.com / www.facebook.com/Massproduktion 

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, experimental, trip-pop.

Background/Info: Swedish duo Jan Strandqvist & Frida Madeleine has already released a few noticeable productions. I still have their previous full length “Electricity” (2016) in mind. They now strike back with their fourth album, which has been released exactly 38 years after the suicide of Ian Curtis. This album indeed is inspired by legendary Joy Division and especially by the “Closer”-album. Red Mecca explains this wink as ‘comparison with “Closer” is perhaps superficial, but we mean we have found our own progressive and challenging darkness’.

Content: There indeed is no comparison with Joy Division possible, but it’s interesting to see how a contemporary electro-pop driven formation has been inspired by one of the greatest cold-wave formations in history. Sound-wise Red Mecca remains faithful to their electro-pop approach characterized by slow rhythms and the sweet and fragile vocals of Frida Madeleine. But the songs also reveal different influences, which brought the band to experiment with trip-pop/hop elements.

+ + + : There are a few real beautiful songs featured and I especially want to mention “Set In Motion” for the great, elevating effect. Another noticeable song is “Mirror”, which is carried by a solid bass line. I still have to mention “Communities” for the heavenly female vocals. It remains another main characteristic of Red Mecca. Frida’s timbre of voice sounds sweet and somewhat childish, but a few cuts reveal a more passionate way of singing.

– – – : A few cuts are a little less monotonous. They nicely going by, but can’t totally convince.

Conclusion: Generally speaking this new work also marks a step forward in the band’s history. It’s maybe not their best work to date, but Red Mecca doesn’t clearly repeat them. There’re a few great songs featured at this ‘dark’ work. This band remains worthy of examination!

Best songs: “Mirror”, “Set In Motion”, “Communities”, “Core Of The Earth”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.redmecca.se / www.facebook.com/redmeccasundsvall

Label: www.massproduktion.com / www.facebook.com/Massproduktion

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, wave-pop, dream-pop.

Background/Info: Swedish formation Red Mecca is a band I’m keeping an eye on. They released a few  productions revealing a personal electro-pop inspired music style. “Set In Motion” has been released as a 2-track vinyl.

Content: It’s not that evident catching the electro-pop style of this band. The single rather sounds as an exploration of electronics featuring elements of pop and ambient. In the end it’s all pretty evasive and filled with melancholia. The vocals are a bit whispering-like, which sounds now a bit sensual and then more like crying.

+ + + : “Set In Motion” is an intriguing single revealing two tracks filled with emotion. Their very unique approach remains the band’s main strength while the melancholic aspect only accentuates a feeling of dark reverie. I still like the production of the vocals, which is pretty intriguing… maybe awakening some fantasies….

– – – : This kind of vinyl is mainly meant to seduce the biggest die-hard fans. Both songs are cool, but not exactly what I would call ‘hits’!

Conclusion: What I especially like in the sound of Red Mecca is that they’re progressively creating their very own sound DNA avoiding the usual pop-clichés!

Best songs: “Set In Motion”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.redmecca.se / www.facebook.com/redmeccasundsvall

Label: www.massproduktion.com

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Jan Strandqvist & Frida Madeleine are Red Mecca. The Swedish duo caught my attention with their debut-album “You Were Never Here” (2013). This new opus is their 3^rd full length to date featuring 10 songs.

Content: “Electricity” is an album that will take you a way into an electronic sound universe of reverie. It sounds a bit astral-like and made with delicacy. It feels like a caress and will give you a feeling of prosperity. The slow tempo and the sensual vocals of Frida Madeleine inject a sensual touch to the work.

A few cuts are merged with elements of trip-pop. The elegance and wafting sensation of the songs sometimes remind me of a mix between the great and less recognized debut album of Starseeds (cf. “Parallel Life”) and Client. The songs have been accomplished by beautiful sound treatments, and evasive atmospheres.

+ + + : “Electricity” is a beautiful and well-crafted album revealing multiple noticeable songs. The compositions are intelligent and achieved with subtle arrangements. This is not exactly an innovative album although a creative one and a pop format that sounds miles away from the familiar pop-standards. There’s a real artistic process inside this album.

– – – : I can imagine this is not exactly the most accessible ‘pop’ production and the main difficulty will be for sure to find a wider audience.

Conclusion: “Electrictiy” is made of chemistry, the kind of electronic composition, which feels like a platonic love… it’s filled with dreams, intense passages and a warm breeze of sensuality.

Best songs: “Skin”, “Hearts”, “Blood On The Streets”, “Ambition”.

Rate: (8½).

Band: www.redmecca.se / www.facebook.com/redmeccasundsvall

Label: www.massproduktion.com

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com