We’re honored to partner with Norwegian indie group Remington Super 60 to bring you an exclusive look into their latest EP New EP, out wherever you listen to music on January 29. Since their formation in 1998, the group has released several albums and EPs inspired by renowned artists like The Beach Boys, The Velvet Underground, Stereolab, Yo La Tengo, and Burt Bacharach. Drawing from their previous sound while simultaneously taking the group in a whole new direction, New EP is a shimmery, atmospheric masterpiece that will redefine your perspective of dream pop and ‘60s avant-garde rock revival.

Boxcar Collective’s Zack Holden interviewed Remington Super 60’s Christoffer Schou, who shared his thoughts on this brilliant new release.

Zack Holden: RS60's sound has continuously grown and developed in every new EP and full-length album, and New EP, with its glittery, dream-pop inspired instrumentals and pensive vocals, seems like a logical next step. What factors do you think have accounted for this shift in sound over time? Going a step farther, was there a particular sound you were trying to achieve on New EP?

Christoffer Schou: I think that my production skills have grown over time. When I first started recording music back in late ‘98, I really didn't know what I was doing. I discovered this whole new world of possibilities when I bought my first PC with a recording program (before that we used 4 track machines) and started my long time obsession with collecting Casio and Yamaha keyboards.  That was a lovely carefree time when I literally spit out song after song, but as the years passed and I got more and more production experience, I felt I got too picky about perfection. So, I felt like I had to dumb it down a bit to maintain that "bedroom pop sound" that I love. And that was very important for me. When I recorded this EP, I listened to a lot of my early recordings and other bands I listened to in those days and tried to be inspired by that feeling I once had in order to keep the Remington sound intact but still move into new directions.

I don’t record in my bedroom anymore, though. Now, I sit in my living room, so I guess you could call me a living room producer.

ZH: Did you have any primary sources of inspiration in creating New EP, and if so, how did they shape the songwriting and recording processes?

CS: I think that each song on the EP represents some style of music or sound that I have loved over the years, so I’ll try to break it down for you:

“The Highway Again”

We made this song after I read the Lou Reed biography and listened to a lot of Velvet Underground. I didn't try to copy the Velvet’s [style], but I was definitely inspired by them.

“I Don’t Wanna Wait”

I made this song after I bought a Yamaha PSS-390 keyboard (made in 1989), and I decided to only use that for drums and sounds (with the exceptions of guitar and bass). So, I was really just playing around with the keyboard, and the song just went where it went.

“Fake Crush”

This, I guess, is a homage to my love for ‘60s mod music. I have had that drum-loop that goes through the song in my loop library for a while, but couldn't work out the right tune for it until I got this “I got a fake crush” lyric and melody stuck in my head. I sometimes start with a drum-loop when I make music and just let it take me wherever it takes me.

“Tropical Drone Pop”

We don’t have that many Norwegian bands or musicians that are famous outside of Norway, but KYGO has been pretty big for a while, and everybody is talking about tropical house to my annoyance. I had this idea to make up a new style called tropical drone pop. Basically, my plan was to make an instrumental with tropical birds chirping in the background and use a marimba, and voila this song came to be.

“Dreaming of Summer”

This is probably the most “classic” Remington Super 60 song on the EP. It’s basically inspired by my love for ‘60s easy listening from [artists like] Burt Bacharach, among others. I got the idea to make it when my neighbor complained about the winter and longed to be on her boat in the summer.

“Dina Hender”

I felt that I had to make one song with a lot of Casio keyboard sounds on the EP, so this is basically me playing around with my Casio keyboard collection, and then Elisabeth started singing in Swedish for some reason. The blog Janglepophub recently called it “Enya doing twee,” and I kinda liked that.

ZH: Since its formation in late 1998, RS60 has released several albums, as well as appeared in numerous compilations. Where do you see RS60 going next from here, and how do you think New EP shaped the group's future?

CS: I had a lot of years when I was uninspired and didn't record much, but then a few years back I made a Christmas song that I kinda felt was the best I had made in a while. (“A Winter Song” was the title.) And that song inspired me to continue to focus on new material. When the songs on the EP came along, I felt I was finally a bit back to where I was in the early days (always recording new music). So, this EP will definitely change the band’s future, as now all I can think about is to record and release new music. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.