Interview with The Raveonettes: Surf, Death, and Sugarcoated Fuzz

As the tide lapped at the shore, and the surf boards crested the waves, Sune Rose Wagner sat in the sand, mulling over music and his father’s death. The result was Pe’ahi, an album unlike anything he and Sharin Foo – his cohort in The Raveonettes – had ever recorded. After over a decade of renown for their swaggering riffs and swooning harmonies, The Danish garage rock duo dove into an ocean of new influences for the new LP. Ahead of their gig tomorrow (Nov 22) at Tango, Wagner and Foo tell us more about plumbing those depths, weathering grief and more, before reminiscing on the moments that brought them together in the first place.

In July, Sune wrote in Q Magazine: "Following my father’s sudden death on Christmas Eve 2013, I set out to create a very different Raveonettes album.” Sharin, how did that grief affect Sune’s work on Pe’ahi, and what did you do to support him?

Sharin Foo: Well, losing a parent will always be a rite of passage. Whether the relationship was a good or a bad one. The impact it had on our creative process was that Sune, in a way, seemed even more determined than ever before to get to the bottom of things. Perhaps when you experience death close to you, then you become closer to life as well. And you can feel that Pe’ahi has a lot of zest. Whether it’s related to Sune loosing his father or not, I don’t know. But it’s powerful.  

Sune, was working on Pe’Ahi a cathartic experience after your father’s death?

Sune Rose Wagner: It wasn’t unfortunately, but it was still necessary to go ahead and use that experience. I loved recording Pe’ahi. I was so inspired and creative throughout the process. I worked ten hours every day and loved every second of it. It turned out exactly the way I intended, so I’m very happy.

I love the song “Endless Sleeper.” Are there any similarities between performing music and surfing, in terms of how you feel when you crest a wave or play a note that gives audiences joy, and so on?

SRW: I believe surfing is more fun and life-changing than playing music. I could be totally wrong, but I think I’m right on this one.

Pe’ahi is a huge departure from the rest of The Raveonette’s work – you immersed yourself in Southern California’s surf scene, avoided typical "verse chorus” song structures, and included new elements like harps and choirs. What prompted this change in approach?   

SRW: It was a conscious decision. I live in Los Angeles now and felt I should learn about the culture here, and surf culture is huge here. It’s such an interesting story too, and very inspiring to read about. I wanted this album to be different than what … we had done before. By incorporating new and exciting elements and unusual song structures, it was partly achieved. The lyrics and vocal performances made up the other half.

How has your partnership changed, now that the two of you have been writing and recording together for several years? 

SF: I suppose we complement each other well. We’re opposites in some ways, but also very similar in others. I admire that Sune never rests on his laurels, and he always wants to take it further. He has a tremendous drive and lots of ambition, you could also call it a tremendous amount of restlessness and being unsettled. But either way, there’s constant movement. 

Sune, how does being in The Raveonettes fulfil you in ways that your old bands, like Western Front and Psyched Up Janis, didn’t?

SRW:There’s no comparison whatsoever. The Raveonettes is all I ever wanted. Those bands were fun to do, and I learned a lot, but The Raveonettes is a completely different thing altogether. It’s international for one, and the music we do is everything I ever wanted to do.

How did you meet each other?  

SRW: We met through mutual friends in Copenhagen. Our voices blended perfectly together and we were able to sing The Everly Brothers really well, that did it for me. She also had the same drive and crazy energy that I had, so it was a perfect match.

Sharin, were you a fan of Psyched Up Janis, or any of Sune’s other previous projects at the time? 

SF: Yes I was very aware of Sune and PUJ. Sune was the “enfant terrible” of the grunge scene in Denmark. Kind of the anti-hero or the provocateur, and always causing a stir. He had pink dreadlocks at one point. I thought he was very cool. He still is. I came from a very different background of studying vocals at a conservatory for five years. Not very rock n’ roll. But I always felt a little displaced, and was very motivated to throw myself into the work with Sune and The Raveonettes when he approached me to try and work together. I was compelled.  

Sune, I read that in 1999 you worked as a photographer's assistant for Søren Solkær, an acclaimed Danish photographer known for snapping shots of  superstars like U2, Bjork, David Lynch, and more. Did you learn anything there that helps you to this day? Did that experience help you to make interesting choices for The Raveonettes' album artwork or music videos?

SRW: I always believed in learning from great, creative people. I learned from working with Søren and it gave me a better understanding of the wonderful world of photography. I come up with most of our artwork and visuals because I have an interest in it, it’s something I need to be involved with, it’s creative and fun. In 2012, Sune told Interview Magazine: "Yeah. I think both Sharin and I are more movie lovers than we are music lovers. We tend to find inspiration a lot more in cinematic things like photo and film.”

Sharin, can you give me a few specific examples of films or photos that influenced or inspired Raveonettes songs? 

SF: The artwork for our entire B sides collection was done by (renowned San Francisco based photographer) Todd Hido. I think the visuals for that release create another dimension with the music. In my opinion, it was one of our most successful collaborations in terms of music and artwork.  In terms of inspirations from movies, gosh, it’s everything from Hitchcock to Tim Burton to John Hughes to Woody Allen and many many more. Obviously the visuals and album covers for our very early releases were very inspired by film noir and B movies. But we’re definitely not purists, and we move effortlessly from one genre to another.

What’s next for The Raveonettes?  

SF: It’s a big question. We’re as ambitious as ever. And as long as we keep making music that we get excited about and feel proud of, then we’ll probably keep doing what we’re doing.  

The Raveonettes will perform at Tango on Saturday (Nov 22). Tickets are RMB 280 presale on Damai, RMB 350 at the door. For more information, visit here. They also play Shanghai's Mao Livehouse tonight.

Photo: The Beat Dies Records