Little Dragon have just dropped their new album Season High, a mind-bending record that traverses funk and psychedelic sounds. As always, Little Dragon have recorded the record in their home country, keeping things comfortable while also shaking things up with the addition of a producer for the very first time. James Ford (Florence + The Machine, Arctic Monkeys) added his touches to the record and as such it feels like Little Dragon are stretching themselves more than ever.

Just before the release of the record we caught up with Fredrik Wallin from Gothenburg to chat all things Season High. We spoke stepping out of comfort zones and also the two distinct modes of Season High - the slow and the amped-up.

Where am I speaking to you from?

I’m in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Did you guys record this album in Sweden?

Yes, we did. In our home studio in Gothenburg.

Nice, does it feel good to be able to keep making music at home because oftens bands get lured over to the US?

Yes, definitely. It’s essential for our process at least to have a good vibe and to have your favourite coffee and whatever you need. It’s good to have that kind of bubble. We go there on a daily basis. It works for us.

Is it fun to take those songs out of the bubble of Sweden and tour them in other parts of the world?

Yes, that’s amazing. Absolutely. That’s the kick and the rush. Definitely. Hopefully people like them as well. I mean, I know they do.

Do you ever wonder when you’re in the recording process whether you’re getting too insular and staying too much in your own bubble?

I don’t think in the initial process of it, it’s more when you....when you do music and go into a high state of excitement and then when you come back the next day, then maybe the more critical ear takes over and it’s like, “oh, is this good enough?” I think as long as you like it yourself, I don’t think you should think so much about what others think.

The last album was coming off the breakout success of Ritual Union but this album feels like you’ve been able to settle and relax. Was there a goal going into this album?

It was relaxed in someway, definitely. There was more of us to finalise it because we had different opinion on when it was done. It was kind of dragged out because we wanted everyone to be happy. But it turned out great.

How hard is it to decide when an album is done when you’ve got four core opinions?

It can be really hard actually. It can tense up the atmosphere. But then again, certain songs it’s like everyone agrees and it’s perfect. We all appreciate minimalism so, yeah. But it’s worked out good, actually.

The first two single High and Sweet feel minimal in a way but really punchy in terms of their production. Did you know when they were done or did they take a little while to cook?

High was very fast and natural. It felt like it didn’t need anything more. It was just getting the mix right. Sweet we had a couple of turns, backwards and forwards. It was more in the arrangement to get it to flow. But the beat and the vocals were very quick. But you want to have some dynamic in it and some sort of build. We also had some different opinions about that.

Is it usually obvious to you what songs need to drop first off the album?

Yeah, it’s definitely a discussion. It’s also where the label comes in handy because they have their opinions. They have a good way of thinking critically, in another creative way. The reason we released High first was that, it’s maybe the track that’s a little more of a comfort pill for the fans. It’s a strong, great track but it’s also a track that’s kind of cosy and nice. It ties in very well with the other albums and material whereas Sweet, it’s a bit more on the edge. It’s a great track, it’s the obvious first choice but I think High was a good choice.

Sweet is one of your most forthright tracks in terms of the groove and funk. There are tinges of Prince in there, a vibe that pops up on a few tracks on the album. What informed that sound on the album?

I think it comes natural. You’ve gotta have the funk. It’s crucial for the music. Some tunes might be a bit more suggestive or a straighter groove but we all really love groove music and funk music and Prince and all of that stuff. We’re suckers for that. It comes very naturally, it’s not an active decision.

One of the biggest changes with this record is that you’ve brought in external producers. Did you make that decision before making the record?

It was more throughout the process. I think we almost thought that we were finished. We’d been talking about it for a few years to maybe bring someone else in and then we were talking about whether tracks were finished or not and we thought we’d bring in someone with fresh ears. They both came in late in the process. What they brought though was really interesting and good for the development of things.

It’s only natural after being together for so long that you start to feel comfortable or the opinions start to change among the group. Did bringing in the producers shake up your comfort zone?

They’re very different characters those two producers. It’s always whatever group you have, if you mix it up and bring someone else in it’s a bit different. James Ford was a good people’s person. He was very good at accommodating everyone’s taste. He wasn’t really pushing his ideal, he was more like suggesting stuff and taking in all of our different vibes. It worked out really good.

It’s a hard question to answer now but when you sit back and listen to the record, do you feel satisfied or are there always going to be thing you want to change?

I should probably listen to it. You need to take a break from it a little bit when you’ve worked on it for so long. I’m mostly satisfied. There’s always a tiny little ego in yourself. There’s that thing that you wanted to have different but that best thing is just to let it go. It’s become it’s own creation and it’s a great creation that I’m proud of.

What’s the feeling about going out to tour the record? Are you excited to deliver these songs to live crowds?

Yeah very much. That’s super fun. That brings in another element like how they react to it. I’m a bit nervous but it creates another kind of energy when you play them live. It takes on another shape. But I’m super excited. We are all super excited about that.

Playing live, do you sometimes look back on the songs and think I’d love to change this? Can the live process be helpful in terms of self-critiquing?

Absolutely. We often talk about, we should do live albums or we should make the music and then play it live and then record it again and then release it. It definitely goes all different ways and you come up with new stuff. We play everything live and we want it to be playful and jam-my. You always come up with new ideas.

The visual aspect of this album is one of the most cohesive in terms of the videos and the album cover. What was the inspiration behind all of that?

The videos were made with this young Swedish guy called Ossian Melin. He’s a force of nature and he’s very good at presenting things in new ways. It’s very inspiring to work with him. The album cover was an idea I had that we try something very natural, in a good way. Ibrahim Kamara also helped out with this, the videos and the cover. It was very playful and natural which is a good sign. Sometimes you have to try to push out something but this just worked out really good. We also have some new killer videos on the way.

ALSO READ: Little Dragon's best features since their last album from Flume to Kaytranada.

- Words by Sam Murphy