From mumbling into a mic in 2009 to crafting sleek pop anthems, Lust for Youth are making music they want to hear. Ahead of their concert in Močvara on October 9th, we had a chat with Hannes. Enjoy the read!
Can you say a couple of words about who you are and your work so far?
I’m Hannes and I started LFY when I was living in Gothenburg many years ago. It was a different style of project then, more inspired by industrial and minimal wave. My interest shifted a bit and when I moved to Copenhagen and met Malthe he helped me to push the direction towards a more melodic and pop oriented sound. Which have always been a soft spot for us; good pop songs (The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, The Tough Alliance, Francoise Hardy, The Go-Betweens etc..).
Do you remember your very first performance—what was it like, and how did it feel to perform live for the first time?
Yes, it was when I was living in Gothenburg, it was probably in the fall of 2009. We were standing on a small stage in the foyer, right next to the entrance. We had MS-20 and some cassette loops, and I mumbled in a microphone for 20 minutes. I don’t think it intrigued a lot of people but probably had some sort of charm.
Do you attend music conferences/showcase festivals? If yes, which ones?
We’ve been to SXSW and to something in Norway, but it’s really not our cup of tea. My experience is that it tends to be a bit too corporate.
Was there a person, moment, a collaborator, labelmate, mentor or influence that helped you shape your artistic vision or shift your music career in a meaningful way—someone or something you still remember fondly?
Malthe Fischer, showing me that you could pan the sound, I’d never thought about that before when I was working on the cassette porta. All the sounds were just smashed into a mess on top of each other.
Your sound has evolved from raw, minimal synth into a more polished and melodic direction—sometimes even danceable and pop-oriented. How do you balance making music that’s more accessible or commercially viable with staying true to your original artistic vision?
The artistic vision has always been to make pop music, but in our own way. We make music we like to listen to.
When you look back at your early records now—albums like Growing Seeds or Perfect View—how do you feel about them? Do you still see those as part of the same project, or like a different band entirely?
For me everything up til 2014 was a different project, from the International album is kind of where LFY as a group starts. Before that, it was a solo experiment by me, trying to learn how to make music.
Do you think about how people interpret your lyrics and visuals, or is it more about creating a mood and letting listeners feel it in their own way?
I’d say we before were more focusing on making a mood or a vibe, and whatever lyrics or samples we used to underline this feeling. The listener might interpret it differently, which is also the exciting part of it.
If you didn’t have to think about genre, past albums, or what people expect from Lust for Youth—just starting totally fresh—what kind of music do you think you’d be making? I would probably choose to get a proper education instead.
What have you been listening to lately? Do you know about any emerging names/colleagues we should check out?
I’ve been listening to Rosa Anschütz ’s beautiful new album Sabbatical.
But I would also like to mention Amateur Hour – Går I Kras, from Gothenburg, Sweden.
Is there a future project or collaboration you dream of doing and that fans might expect from Lust for Youth?
It’s still early to say yet, let’s see what happens.
Anita Ulovec
