Sometimes When I Look At You… is the first single from the Danish alt-rock band’s coming album which is due to be released in January 2020 – their follow-up to their last album Gloria. Silque has already received quite a bit of attention from the Danish music media. ‘Drive’, the first single from their EP Red/Blue from 2018, has come into rotation on the Danish national radio channel P4 where it has been given more than 1,000 spins.

The song is energetic and punchy, and the manic vocals, pumping bassline and the frantic, feverish guitars instills a sense of being punched in the face. Sometimes When I Look At You… is a taste of what is to come – an album mixing garage rock, electronic soundscapes and an attentive ear for melodies; and the listener will be sure to be reminded of icons like The Smiths and The War On Drugs.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Silque about the new release, challenges, technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

All four of us live in Copenhagen, Denmark. Genre has always been a difficult thing for us to define but we would call it Alternative Indie Rock.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

The four of us have loved music all of our lives. And playing music really came into a whole new perspective when we started playing in different bands in gymnasiet (high school). After finishing high school, we started playing together and formed a band and really just kept going from there.

What really motivates us to keep going is probably that we simply cannot stop playing music. And with each release we want to try new things and push our own boundaries in terms of how we write and perform our music. That gives the process an everlasting excitement to it.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

We are really excited to be releasing another full-length album. We feel that the first single Sometimes When I Look At You It Feels Like Being Punched In The Face (But You Know What? I Really Like That) represents the new choices we’ve made in terms of new “punchy” synths and more nuanced atmospheres in our songs. As with every new song we make, we always try to experiment with what we like and what we fell is “us”. 

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

Well, living in this digital age of creation you meet a lot of competition. It’s basically possible to create an album from your laptop in bed which means there are an astronomical amount of constant releases from all around the world. So, you really have to try and stand out as an artist. Otherwise, your noise is just going to get cancelled by the static of constant new releases. That being said, being a band in this digital world means that it is possible for us in a small country like Denmark to receive plays from audiences all around the world which would never have been possible without all the streaming services.

And we can create demos, to bring to the studio, from our beds as well.

What was the last song you listened to?

“Soon To Be, Won’t To Be” by Diane Coffee

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

There is so much history within the vinyl format. There is something uniquely satisfying in putting on a record, hearing the crisp crackles from the needle and then just listen to an entire album. Users of streaming services often sort their favourite songs on different playlists after mood, party, running, etc. When you listen to an album on vinyl, you sit through the whole thing. I suppose that’s what every band wants you to do.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

We are mostly familiar with Spotify. Within our concentric circles, that’s what most of us use. As an artist, it’s really easy to get connected to your artist page. That way you get the opportunity to keep track of how your songs are doing, where they are streamed and how many times.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

We try to keep both our Facebook and Instagram updated as often as possible. That is where you will stumble upon teasers of new tracks, an insight to our writing process and the next gigs near you.

Anything else before we sign off?

We are really looking forward to releasing new music and we hope that people will enjoy these new sounds.