Though they ditch their guitars for their inaugural Lilystars single – opting instead for shimmering soundscapes via Leon den Engelsen – Koala Bar’s emotive candor still manages to bubble at the surface.
It’s NSD (new signee day, let’s just pretend it’s a thing) and it’s pretty special. Not only does the group in question hail from dreampop ground zero (Sweden), the single we’re introducing them through is a nudge or two away from their musical lingua franca.
We’re talking about neo-folkies Koala Bar, and more to the point, their inaugural Lilystars single, “Lions,” which isn’t so flush in the neo-folk scheme of things. It’s like regularly showing photos of your long-distance girlfriend to your buddies, and when she finally comes to visit, she’s donning a different hair color.
But that’s all mirrors and mirage, because the long-distance girlfriend’s super-smart, charmingly conversant, and heartbreakingly wide-eyed…regardless of the dyed locks. In other words, though the guys from Koala Bar ditch their guitars for this track – and with that, their idyllic charms and folksy plaid-and-beanie camaraderie – their emotive candor still manages to bubble at the surface.
All of that both despite (and in some respects because of) the stellar work of featured artist-producer Leon den Engelsen, with whom the band engaged in “open-ended” collaboration for “Lions.” The track – which the band says was prompted by a desire to “convey a feeling, create an alternate reality, create a landscape of sound, [and] be a blank slate” – is an affecting crossover of campfire melody and Big Red Machine-style beats and textures.
Recorded in a tranquil studio situated in a woody nature reserve, singer Jonatan Duregård,
backing singer Axel Ploman, and keyboardists Petter Göransson and Olof Yassin weren’t lacking in mood and vibe, to say the very, very least. Leon den Engelsen knew as much but didn’t sit on it as a nice bit of happenstance. Instead, the fabled producer sought to work natural elements into the end product, at the same time deconstructing through electronic bric-a-brac.
The band’s demo, as was their usual wont, a heart-on-sleeve acoustic-and-voice rendering. “When we first brought it to Leon, we didn’t really know what to expect,” they said, adding that when they got the producer’s draft treatment, they already felt that “it went from a cub to a full-grown lion.” The melody still shines, the harmonies still ache, but Leon lent the proceedings a hyperawareness and hypersensitivity that’s rare in much of modern chillwave or electro-pop.
“We figured it would be cool to merge the seriousness of the lyrics with a playful arrangement and overall production. As much as it was a process of putting a dope track together, it was just as much about having fun while doing it,” the band says further.
Lilystars is sure proud to have the guys over, and at such a pivotal moment in their creative journey. Spin “Lions” today; you’ll be glad you did.