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Back in May, Copenhagen-based punk band PLEASER released their second album Begging Guitars. Now, they can finally relax and start to enjoy the post-album calm. Catching up with guitarist Suo Fei, she explains, “it’s a good weight lifted from our shoulders. The whole writing and recording process was so wholesome, we felt so present, so we’re just very excited to show the album to the rest of the world, or at least people in Denmark.”
As with all bands, the time leading up to the album coming out has been chaotic, and PLEASER played a few album release shows, which they found to be overwhelming, but ultimately so much fun. The first one in Copenhagen was essentially a logistical nightmare, combined with the anxiety of playing all new songs, which led to the band feeling pretty jittery by the time they walked out on stage. The second show, in Aarhus in Denmark, went a lot smoother. This time around, the band were more relaxed, but undoubtedly played incredible shows both times. Sophie says, “it’s not like we get affected if anyone has negative comments, but it means a lot when other people get what you’re doing, and you’re making something that resonates with other people.”
Where their debut represented PLEASER coming together, getting to know each other and the excitement of starting out, Begging Guitars feels more complete somehow. This time, the band are closer, stronger, and have a unity that serves the music incredibly well. They started writing quickly after their debut, showing absolutely no signs of slowing down, and used it as a learning curve, taking exactly what they knew they wanted to write together and bringing it to fruition.
“It’s been a very light, easy writing process and we had a good experience in just playing a lot together, playing as in playfulness.” Where the first album was dark and intense, this album is more related to having hope, and seeking support from those around you. Sophie explains, “it just reflects what we’ve been through in our lives. We talk very personally, and we’re very supportive towards each other, so I think it came naturally, the openness.”
This bond that the members have discovered with each other over time has created a deep vulnerability in their lyrics, but also a supportive, hopeful environment that is reflected in the message of the album. The sound benefits from this too, and as a little contradiction to the intensity of the heavy vocals, there is singing, and harmonies to bring about some lightness. Sophie explains that this is something they had wanted to introduce for a while, and surprisingly for the band, came extremely effortlessly.
Something Sophie mentions often, and feels passionate about, is the playful nature of playing music, and how PLEASER know that this is something they always want to maintain. Immediately, it is clear that the typical setting of a recording studio just doesn’t work for them, and the idea of one person at a time recording, when the rest of the band stand distant in another room, is way too serious, and way too much pressure. They quickly learnt that the way that makes them all feel the most comfortable is recording in a collective rehearsal space, with the members in a circle facing each other, more similar to how they would play a live show. In the end, the majority of the album was recorded like this, live, and often it was the first take that they would run with. They are often labelled as ‘chaotic’ and the band see this as a fun compliment, something they always want to encapsulate in their music. “All in all, we just had a really good time doing it. it was a one-to-one, relatable situation, and it was just more relaxed when we did it together in this way.” This demonstrates itself in the music, and the confidence and energy of the band is what makes the album so engaging.
Although the energy in the studio was described as wholesome, and the band had a great time making the album, that’s not to say that they didn’t have difficulties making some specific songs. My Fantasy, for example, pushed PLESAER far out of their comfort zone, and incorporating spoken word was something they knew they wanted to do, but didn’t come easily in practise. Sophie explains, “we spent a lot of time trying to fit the pieces together. That’s the one we spent the most time on, and were more doubtful about. It wasn’t until we played it live, at the release show, that we were like, okay, we know it’s right.” The ending track, Vow of Bliss, proved to be difficult as well. Going into the studio, they had only the lyrics, and had to almost improvise how it was going to work. Eventually, Sophie and their other guitarist, Annie, sang together, in and out of each other, and it was the first time they tried it that they knew that was how the song was meant to be. “It was one of the last things we did in the studio, and we were very locked in,” she says. “There was a very big energy exchange when we did it, and we couldn’t have done it on the first day, for example, because we were so in tune with each other. It was a very magical experience.”
The making of Begging Guitars was an incredible experience for PLEASER, and they hope that listeners can channel some of that energy for themselves. “I hope that people feel when they play music that they can connect with the playful, joyful part of themselves, that they can connect with themselves and remember to be more in flow with themselves.”
Begging Guitars is out now via Part Time Records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS122 here:
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