A spunky, edgy and feel-good trio is a spot-on description of Danish alt-rock band New Politics. The band has captured the hearts of fans all over the world by putting a dash of electronic into its punk rock feel. Guys and girls alike started to line up at 3 p.m. for the band’s Saturday night gig at The Social in order to see these fun-loving lads sing their heart-fluttering tunes. The Bite got a taste of life on the road and sat down with the band’s Soren and David on their tour bus.
Looking back on your career, what is a moment that has been eye-opening or has stuck with you a long the way?
Soren: I would say coming out with the second album, because it was very hard for us to write. When we came out with the album, we didn’t take anything for granted, and we really held onto that feeling. So the first time we heard that it was being played on the radio and that all the struggle we had gone through had really paid off, that was the most amazing feeling for everybody, I think.
Did you expect all of this success?
Soren: You can never expect something like that.
I was at a Magic Game last night at Amway Center, and your song was playing.
David: That’s amazing! You work for it, you hope for it, that’s what the goal is and you believe in it when you put [an album] out, but you really have no control.
Soren: We are just beginning right now, but we are working just as hard. It’s not like we can buy a house or anything. We are still investing a lot in this.
Is it surreal to hear your songs being played on the radio?
David: Or just being on the charts with big names and other bands, it’s all surreal.
Do you think your fans have an influence on your music making in any way or the decisions that you guys make?
Soren: Definitely with the decisions that we make. We really appreciate it.
David: I think a bit of both actually, subconsciously without knowing. They are always on our minds because they are such a big part of it, new ones and old ones. We always have our fans in the back of our heads in some kind of way because they are a part of this dream as much as we are—they make it a reality.
Soren: It is definitely cool to see. We always wanted to have a strong, positive fan base and that’s what we have now. It’s growing, and it’s amazing. Everybody is very active and very positive. That’s a really cool feeling. We are very lucky to have that.
If you could go back to any time in music history, where would you go to? Or what era of music?
Soren: Oh, the 70’s had some really good stuff. Like the 60’s, 70’s… also the 80’s too. I think around 2000 it became very electronic, and it kind of makes sense too because around that time everything became digital, and music follows whatever is there. I think today has a very healthy scene in music. The alternative scene is very influential and popular. But The Doors, Hendrix, that whole era…If I could choose to see one of those shows…Oh my God.
Do you guys have a genre of music that you prefer to listen to while on the road?
David: For me, usually I will hear a song, and then if I like it I will listen to it until I am sick of it. And then I will try to listen to other songs or artists like that band, and if there is another song I like then I will slowly listen to those songs. And then I will sort of move on and do the same thing. Music is very fast nowadays.
If you were to try and explain your music to someone who has never heard it before, what would you describe it as?
Soren: I think today we came up with one that works. We play pop music with punk attitude.
Do you have a certain place where you find it easiest for you to write your music?
David: (Jokingly) We don’t write our music, our fans do.
Soren: That is actually a really good question. So when we wrote the second album, it was really hard to break down these barriers. Everybody builds up these barriers like “this is who I am,” so we had done this with the band too. The hardest thing, and it’s always the little things right in front of you…those are the things that people can relate to. So you write a song, and you weigh into those little things, and you start telling a story about something. Maybe you get inspired by something that really did happen and that becomes personal and people can relate to you. That is very hard to find, but I think that is the key with anything creative. It kind of makes sense, right? A kid just does something because it is there so they do it, impulse, and I think that is something people can relate to…honesty. The honest things are always those things in your own life, but they are also those things that you don’t want to talk about, and when you do it feels good.
David: People have the same problems and go through the same things.
When you go on stage, can you tell when a song moves someone? If so, what does that feel like?
Soren: It’s crazy. We’ve never done a headline show before, so we are just experiencing it.
David: With this headline tour, everyone is coming out for the album and for our songs, that’s what the biggest acknowledgement is and the biggest compliment. The only thing that matters when it comes down to it is writing songs, touring, watching this grow and sharing it with people. We were in Russia late last year, and we just got back from Mexico. It was all the same feeling. We would pull in, and everyone was singing along regardless of language barriers and stuff.
Soren: And now we are here in Florida, and we are trying these things all over the world.
If you could go back and tell yourself something that you know now, what would it be?
Soren: Honestly, I don’t think David would even think I was going to say this, but I really think that all of these mistakes make the way for a path that you take, and they are all there for a purpose. You learn from them, and you keep learning your whole life…It’s so easy to say, “We should have started writing the song” or “We should have done this.” It’s like someone saying that they have been in a relationship with someone for two years, and then it didn’t work out and they think they wasted their time. They didn’t. They learned from that relationship, and they grew in a certain way. Throughout your life, you are going to make a lot of choices, and you will end up in a certain place because you [made] that choice. I think that everything happens for a reason. It makes you who you are and gives you a story to tell. It doesn’t matter if you write a song about it or if you just have that story inside of you, it all just becomes who we end up being.
