‘You never know how it’s going to end’

Mystical sounds are about to emanate from Bergen: Feed Me To The Stars is the debut album from alt-rock band SKAAR. During the final preparations for the release on 15 February, the musicians talk about their songwriting process, architecture, and the power of contrasts.

When Scan Magazine meets Karla Lesley Jaeger, the vocalist of SKAAR has just finished her morning work as an architecture teacher. While talking about the similarities of music and architecture, the black door of the spacious, barely furnished room opens and a man with dishevelled hair enters. Andreas Melve and Karla are part of the six-piece band from Norway, whose debut album Feed Me To The Stars is released this month.

On contrasts and improvisation

Listening to the cover track, Beautiful War, a tender melody meets the force of a massive-sounding band. A similar, striking contrast can be found in the music video for Mio, in which Karla’s innocent, naive voice creates an atmosphere of a tranquil space, until forces in the shape of coloured hands start painting her face. Andreas compares contrasts in music to those in life. “To experience the highs, you sometimes need to face the lows. After a dark, cold winter follows the never-ending days of summer,” says the guitarist. Karla explains the power of contrasts with the help of her architectural background: she uses bold, shifting colours to make visitors feel powerfully engaged with the space.

Improvisation plays a major role in SKAAR’s music. “When writing a new song, one of us starts with a bassline and the others join in,” Andreas explains. “You never know how it’s going to end,” Karla adds. The bassline can be a sound, a melody or an atmosphere. Occasionally, the likable vocalist in her early 30s finds herself lost for words. “Writing the lyrics is sometimes challenging, but at other times, the process is very clear. The lyrics of my favourite songs only take me five minutes. This experience is very powerful.”

Feed Me To The Stars comprises nine of the musicians’ favourite songs. “We are going through our gallery of stars, and these are our brightest ones,” Andreas concludes, smiling. Indeed, Feed Me To The Stars is an album to keep an eye on.

SKAAR will be performing in Liverpool on 29 March. A London show will follow.

For more information, you can visit: skaarband.com

By Hannah Krolle | Photos: Jarle. H. Moe, Kristian Flygel