INTERVIEW: Swiss Rock Pop Band, Shenanygans Speak on Their Newest Single: ‘Count on Me’
Artist: Shenanygans Single: Count on Me Genre: Rock Pop, Retro Guitar Rock, Power Pop Release Date: February 23rd, 2024
The Switzerland based, Beach Boys-raised rock pop outfit, known as Shenanygans, carries on long proven rock traditions with ‘Count on Me.’
With a cadre of four distinct songwriters and a wealth of musical experience under their belt, Shenanygans emerges as a force to be reckoned with in the realm of rock-pop. Their latest single, ‘Count on Me,’ serves as a testament to their collective prowess.
The band releases this track in advance of their upcoming album, On Monte Verita, which which is slated to release late spring 2024.
We sit down with them to discuss their most recent offering: ‘Count on Me.’
How did the idea for "Count on Me" come about, and what inspired the nostalgic theme of the song?
Luki: “Count on Me” was inspired by a walk with a friend after a sleepless night at 6 am in Gdansk, Poland. In the summer in the north the sky never really gets dark, it always has this nice medium blue colour, even at night. The both of us got lost while trying to find the beach, having long and interesting conversations and just enjoying our friendship and adventure. A couple of years later we were living in different countries, having sporadic contact. I was in a dark place and was looking back to these memories, thus “Count on Me” was written.
Your single "Count on Me" has been described as having a Beatles and Beach Boys vibe. What artists or musical influences inspired your sound for this song and the upcoming album?
This song is one of the earliest songs written by our band. Luki actually started writing this song when he was 16. By then he was inspired by John Lennon’s work on A Hard Days Night, stuff like The Everly Brothers and some Motown stuff, trying to come up with a really sweet and catchy melody. After a couple of changes he changed the main melody and, with some help, added a middle part. The lyrics were written a couple of years later.”
Can you walk us through your songwriting process for "Count on Me"? How do you typically collaborate on writing music and lyrics within the band?
“We guess “Count on Me” is not very representative for our band’s songwriting, as it is such an old song. It had even been played by Luki’s previous band before, but never really made the cut. When we founded Shenanygans in early 2023 we showed each other songs we had written before we met (and as we are 4 songwriters in the band we had and still have a lot of songs in our pockets) and Kaylem was just vibing with Count on Me. He was in love with the song, singing it all the time, and it just fits his voice so well.
On other songs we get together, showing each other ideas and just working on it, meeting for a couple of hours and just having fun with it. It’s a bit like playing a game together.”
The harmonies in "Count on Me" are particularly striking. How do you work on developing and refining vocal harmonies in your music?
“We’re big fans of vocal harmonies. Once you analyze pop music there’s vocal harmonies in songs by the most famous pop bands ever, be it Abba, The Beatles, Queen, Motown acts, Bob Marley and The Wailers, you name it. Also bands like Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers or Green Day used lots of vocal harmonies. Not to mention modern indie bands such as Grizzly Bear or Fleet Foxes. In general we sit together and try different melody lines until we got what we want. For Dan and Kaylem harmonising comes natural as both of them have a vast knowledge of traditional (and more modern) Irish songs. It also helps that Luki was in a choir that was singing some Bach pieces.”
"Count on Me" is a song about holding onto memories and friendships. How does this theme relate to the broader themes or narratives explored in your upcoming album, "On Monte Verita"?
“The title “On Monte Verita” is a nod to Luki’s previous band “Monte Verita”, which by now has dispanded and was named after the swiss hill in Ticino. In the early 1920s there was a commune on Monte Verita which attracted lots of artists and people searching for an alternative lifestyle, especially after the horrors of World War 1. Monte Verita stands in a way for a romantic, almost utopic vision of the earliest modern attempts of leading an alternative life. Lots of bands we admire such as The Doors or Jimi Hendrix were associated with the hippie movement back then when the world was a bit more optimistic and people believed in peace and love. Few people know that these ideals were inspired and explored by people on Monte Verita, some of which brought these ideas to the US during World War 2.
However the lyrics of our album are not all connected to that overall topic. Some songs like “Good and Evil”, “Nothing Was Given To You” or “I Believe In You” might be loosely influened by the concept, but others are having their own topics and stories.”
The bridge of "Count on Me" introduces new chords, creating an interesting diversion from the song's structure. What was the creative process behind crafting this section of the song?
“We love to introduce surprises and changes of moods into our songs. It makes it more interesting. We love to write songs together as in a way it surprises even the songwriter, when another songwriter comes up with a fresh idea which fits. It is just a fun feeling when music and creativity flow. A lot of songs we like have surprising changes in chords or dynamics. It can be quite difficult to come up with something fitting. But once you find it, it makes a song so much better!“
The guitar solo in "Count on Me" has been compared to George Harrison's style. Can you tell us more about how you approached creating this solo and incorporating it into the song?
“We usually craft guitar solos by playing chords and then work out phrases which we like. Dan, Luki and Tom, who is a multi-instrumentalist and plays guitar very well, all are helping each other out with melodies, sounds and effects. Sometimes we even hum the melody first before playing them with the guitar. Perhaps this is what reminds one of George, as his solos usually are as catchy as the main melody. This particular guitar solo however was created by the lead guitarist of Luki’s previous band “The Fruitcakes”, Kuba Zwolan, and just adopted by us for the arrangement.”
How does the sound and mood of "Count on Me" reflect the overall aesthetic of Shenanygans as a band?
“To be honest we think Shenanygans are a very diverse band. The songs on “On Monte Verita” all share a similar vibe or aesthetics. Also because they were all recorded and produced on the same instruments in a small garage in winter of 2023. One can hear a vintage, garage-like touch because it was recorded with budget microphones and a small Revox mixing console from the 70s. However for future albums Shenanygans are very open to experiment with styles and sounds. For us, creating music is a constant process of exploring and developing styles and sounds, and we do not want to fit any niche.”
What do you hope listeners take away from "Count on Me" and your upcoming album "On Monte Verita" as a whole?
“We really hope listeners will vibe with our music. Our songs are coming from our experiences, feelings, observations and thoughts. We hope these songs will resonate with listeners, inspire them, entertain them and make them feel a certain way.”
Tell us about your favorite show you’ve played so far.
“As we exist for less than a year we have not played too many shows. However we usually enjoy our shows a lot as we love playing live and our audiences usually are great and supporting us a lot. Therefore it is hard to pick a show which has not been our favourite…”
Keep an eye out for On Monte Verida, and in the meantime, check them out on socials:.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553667051477&paipv=0&eav=AfZVBGfQLQ4j62yqkkq4Zh-PVw7rjqEAQE7Gk43kSiLYCbegqfrE21iyB7U0MBfmjP4
https://shenanygansmusic.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/@Shenanygansmusic
https://www.instagram.com/shenanygans_official/
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“Count on Me” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating DA DA DA - Best New MusicWe discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
