We had the pleasure of chatting to the amazing alt duo Pil and Bue the other day. Check out as we chat about their latest release, touring plans and the state of the industry!

How would you describe your sound? I tried all sorts of different ways to describe it in my review!

Atmospheric and…someone called it fusion rock. It’s hard to say… hehe.

What made you stick to a duo after all these years? Was there ever a point you considered adding other members?

It was only in the very beginning that we planned to add more members. We wanted to write a few songs first, and then get a band on its feet. This never happened, as we discovered the freedom of two. It was fun, and uncomplicated. It felt good. Still does. Sometimes it is challenging. Not many things to lean on to catch our breaths, haha. It is intense!

The album has been out a few days now, it seems to have been very well received!

We have received a lot of compliments and good reviews for it already, and of course that feels good. It’s always very exciting and a little scary to put out new work. We have spent a lot of energy and time on this, it’s a strange, meaningful and vulnerable thing. And right now we feel proud and satisfied. 

Is there a certain theme running through the album? Or is it more individual stories?

It speaks about the strange times we live in and a feeling of overwhelmingness. Everything seems to go faster, and wars are on the rise. We need peace and love. We need to slow down. Some of the songs are more about what goes on within. Internal matters, in order to try and stay reasonable and sane. We are getting older, but not sure if we’re getting wiser. Times are strange.

What made you return to the (Level) tag after a few years away from it?

This is our first release on our own label, except from level 1, and therefore it felt very natural to go back to it. 

What is the writing process like for the band?

Jam based. Often at soundchecks, we discover a riff. Record on our phone or similar. It is very often very inspiring to jam at soundchecks. Good sound, new room, new energy, new city… And then we listen to it after a while. A couple of months later, or so, to find out if it is something we want to build upon. And then we play around with it in the rehearsing room. Often the lyrics come last. However, sometimes a line or two appears in the beginning, and it stays with me through.

Do you have a favourite track on the album, and why?

I think mine is ‘that LITTLE sting’ at the moment. It has an untypical structure. It is two different song ideas merged into one. It is very playful and free. I like that. It’s fun to play it live too. 

Do you have a busy year planned touring in support of the album?

Indeed! Lot’s of gigs!

I saw you’re in the UK in August for Arctangent, right? Any other shows planned over here for around that?

That’s right! Not at the minute, but let’s see what happens. We have heard that Arctangent is great, so we are looking forward to that one. 

What would you say the music scene is like back home? If you’ve been to the UK before, do you have any comparisons you could make?

This is a good question. Here it is obviously much smaller than in the UK. a lot of DIY spirit here too, though. We haven’t played much in the UK thus far. 1 show in London, supporting Long Distance Calling. I think living up here makes the scene here a bit isolated, which also can lead to a unique sound, I guess.

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Any bands you’d want to support or friends you want to bring on the road with you? 

Both of us started playing instruments because of Metallica, so it would be fun to open for them. We would love to bring our friends in Féleth (Death metal from above the arctic circle) with us. 

If you could have written one song from history, what would it have been and why?

Queen – The Show Must Go On. Because it is brilliant, and the show actually must go on.