LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s true, Lemaitre released 5 EPs, a remix collection, and two short form releases –all before gifting us with their first official album. That means fans of the indie electro darlings are used to getting their fix in limited, thoughtful doses. Now, the Norwegian duo is back on the brink of delivering something shiny ‘n new.
This morning, they released their new single “Fast Lovers.” The effort is effervescent, shimmering with a vaguely surf pop sound that sets it up for chart success. Luckily, it will also serve as the title track on their forthcoming EP, due in March.
Since becoming childhood friends in Oslo, Norway, members Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou have adapted their indie electronic sound, playing off of one another both on stage and in the studio. They eventually found their home at Astralwerks (Daft Punk, Porter Robinson). Lemaitre heads into the year with fresh momentum, thanks to a pair of singles dropped late ’18: “Big” and “Little Things.”
These will also feature on the 6-track “Fast Lovers” EP. In the cover art, we see a heavy-handed nod to Milton Glaser’s famed Bob Dylan poster—a tie-in that feels more aligned with “Big” and “Little Thing” than the title track itself.
Big dropped in September 2018, a happy-go-lucky tune that bops around with electronic drums and warm vocal as it’s legs. The measured pacing and more organic sound results in something that’s part Beatles, part Raffi, building into a joyous chorus that deserves a sing-a-long every time.
Little Things came next, as a self-declared B side to Big. This track goes full Across the Universe, with violins and a rising din of electronic drums that do their best to bring on a swell of emotions. If you’re picking up on a thematic link, you’d be right. Jansen and Denizou wrote this track on the same day as Big. This particular brand of indie electro-synth-pop feels like it should be theme music to something vaguely coming-of-age, all lit up with string lights and driving full speed away from a sleepy home town.
The March “Fast Lovers” EP will also include the already-released “Rocket Girl” feat. Betty Who, along with 2 brand new songs. Expect lots of eyes and ears on the drop, especially now that Lemaitre has racked up 68.5 million plays on “Closer,” a true smash hit off their Chapter One album.
The guys spoke with Blurred Culture to weigh in on their newest singles, their (second) FIFA track list selection, and more.
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You two met in school in Norway- in Junior High, right? How has such an extended partnership influenced the way each of you create?
We like to change it up quite often, so sometimes we work together, and sometimes separately. After such a long time working together, we both have a good idea of what the other one would like.
In the past, you’ve solely relied on original samples. Is it still something at the core of your music, or will you let it go going forward?
It has become an integral part of our workflow. A lot of days we will sit around making random bits of music like jazz or soul/R&B just to have fun. If we bounce it out, we can always use it later. It is how a lot of our songs have come together. Also, we don’t have to clear anything, which is nice
7 EPs before the album! What pushed you to 7, and what are you most surprised by (sonically or otherwise) in your new track?
The workflow of EP´s generally fit us better than longer formats. In the modern music world it is no longer necessary to do albums. The technical constraint is gone. If we ever feel like doing an album, it’s because we want to do something that would artistically fit the format. As for the surprises, we are too close to the project to really know. We try to just make the music we want to, which is what we have always done. Tracks our fans were surprised by, can often be tracks that we felt were comfortably related to what we have done before and vice versa.
“It’s Not This,” (your track with Bearson & Josh Pan) got picked up for FIFA ’19. You’ve been on before, in FIFA ’17 – any perks?
Free FIFA games Whoop whoop!!
“Big” is sticky sweet in its message, and those happy little chimes! I could see the big sing-along closing being used in a Coke commercial. You guys aren’t strangers to your songs being used in ads and games, but where else do you want to hear your music used?
It’s hard to tell for us. Often when campaigns happen, we won’t know what it’s for until it’s out. Would be cool to do a soundtrack for a game though!
For “Little Things”—talk “B side” to us. Rare to hear these days.
We felt like they fit together, and were both made on the same day. The lyrics are both pretty personal too, so it would feel weird if they weren’t at all connected.
It’s been reported that you live in Dre’s old house in LA? Where’s the weirdest place people could bump into you in LA?
We didn’t know until we moved in. Just randomly moved in to DRE’s old place! Guess it would be pretty weird to run into us at the pornstar karaoke in studio city. Only been there once, but it was lit haha.
What’s next for you guys?
New music, and more travels. Work, work, work.
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