Nelson Can’s EP3 is out now on Alcopop! Records and we just love their attitude-fuelled sound, all drums and all bass with those raspy vocals.
We caught up with the Danish trio in the run up to their upcoming gig for JaJaJa Music at The Lexington on 30th November to talk about how it all started, EP3 and world domination…
Hi Nelson Can! Welcome to Get In Her Ears – can you tell us a bit about Nelson Can and how it all got started?
It all started out as a lie actually. We had no band. But we had told all of our friends we had a band, and suddenly we got caught up in our lie, and we were booked to play a gig. We had to write some songs fast, even though we had never played music before. This was with our first band in high school. Then, after that our first punk band – which lasted a year or so – we actually stopped playing music because it stopped being fun. Thankfully all that changed when we got the idea of making a new band – the band we are today. Nelson Can.
We understand that you started and built yourselves up from a DIY aesthetic which we totally respect, how did you find that in such a competitive industry?
Well, we didn’t know any better at the time. We just wanted to keep playing music, and no labels fitted our profile at the time we started out. So we just decided to do it all ourselves, release our own music, and just see how far we could go. We still have and run our own label – Like A Can Of Beans Records – and have several artists signed to it (The Entrepreneurs, Gurli Octavia) – but last year we met Jack, and his passion for music and his artists just won us over immediately, and we finally felt like we found the perfect match with our label Alcopop! Records
We’re loving Nelson Can at Get In Her Ears HQ and have played you a number of times on the radio show. Can you tell us a bit about your latest release EP3 out now via Alcopop Records?
EP3 is really about listening to yourself and your inner thoughts, and sharing it with your favourite people in the world; it’s about mending friendships and not forgetting that it’s okay to feel bad sometimes. You can’t always be on top and be at your best all the time. Our society has become so focused on being perfect all the time, everywhere, always, that people tend to forget themselves – you have to go through some tough stuff sometimes. But also remembering not to just keep it bottled up inside – share it, and you might even feel better.
Many female artists get categorized by their gender first, before the music they are making even gets a look in – e.g. girl band, female singer/songwriter – have you had the same experience?
Not really actually. I mean, in the beginning we could get questions like: “Do you realise you’re playing bass on a guitar amp?” Yes. Yes we know. It’s a choice we made. But to be honest, I think it has little to do with our gender, and more to do the ignorance of commenting on such a thing, when the musician clearly knows herself, haha. It’s just because it’s not a common thing to have a lead bass instead of a lead guitar, but luckily we’re here to change that.
You’re currently touring all over the UK, including The Lexington for JaJaJaMusic, on the 30th November – how’s the tour been so far?
The tour has been amazing so far! We’re so happy that Jaws brought us with them for the first part of the tour, and getting to meet so many cool and nice people at the venues has made it even more brilliant!
What can people expect from your live shows?
Being a three piece you always have to really give it all you have. There’s no “hiding” away on stage, because there’s only bass, drums and vocals – you gotta give it all you have. Let’s just say we LOVE playing live, and we have a lot of energy to give! We will definitely play songs from EP3 and older material as well.
What’s 2018 got in store for Nelson Can?
Uuuh, well, as always it’s WORLD DOMINANCE! We’ll keep working hard and playing live as well as writing new songs! It’s gonna be a really good year, I can feel it.
As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new/upcoming bands or artists you’d suggest we check out?
JADA is a really cool pop project with an amazing songwriter and singer. Also Yangtze is my new fix! His music is a magical mix between pop and psychedelic – both artists have this kinda Nordic glow over them! In LOVE!
Huge thanks to Nelson Can for answering our questions!
Nelson Can’s EP3 is out now via Alcopop Records! And catch them live at The Lexington this Thursday 30th November – event info here.
Tash Walker
@maudeandtrevor
