CEO: “Everyday is a new romance”

Eric Berglund is a true architect of sound. Whether as one half of the much missed The Tough Alliance, head honcho at Gothenburg boutique label Sincerely Yours or as the singular CEO, his unapologetic creativeness has forged some of the most visionary, expansive and down right baffling pop music to emerge from Sweden in the past decade.

Last week, Berglund released his second album under the CEO guise. WONDERLAND, the follow up to 2010′s wild White Magic is a literal pandora’s box of intense compositions that taps in to the enigmatic Swedes psyche. The album’s short 30 minutes exposes him as an artist whose natural flare for melody and harmony is met with an unapologetic rawness.

We speak with the enigmatic Berglund about the creative process that led to WONDERLAND‘s creation, the golden hey day of his work with Sincerely Yours and near death experiences.

It’s been three and a half years since we last heard from you. What’s changed in your world since then?

My world feels softer and more tolerant but still sharper. Cause it’s more real. On the surface it can seem fucked up sometimes but then I try to dive deep with those emotions and talk to them there. And then it’s not too bad. When you don’t fight what life is right now, whatever it is right now feels pretty good. For real. At the same time my world is a lot bigger so sometimes I inevitably feel a bit smaller in comparison. At times that is scary but I’m cool with that on the whole.

The new ceo record is a wondrous, sumptuous affair. Each listen reveals something entirely new through its many layers and personalities. Do you feel like you’re going through some kind of creative renaissance right now?

That is very inspiring to hear! It’s so hard to say cause I raise the bar so often that it’s hard to tell what is really happening. I feel like my life is a series of constant renaissances. Baby renaissances. Every day is a new romance you know.

Comparing it to White Magic, WONDERLAND sorta feels like a technicolor version of what’s preceded it. Even comparing both records’ cover art suggests this. Is there a specific theme that runs throughout the album?

The only theme is that it’s all coming from inside of me. I never saw the point in art being thematic in any other way. Themes are for suckers. Why would you wanna limit life?

Inspiration wise, what was playing in the studio when you were creating the record?

Nothing. It’s very distracting to listen to music when you try to make music. Music is so powerful that I need to quiet it down to hear my own heart singing.

You’ve been writing, recording and producing music (at least in the public eye) for over 10 years now and indeed a label owner since 2006. If you could choose one lasting memory of the past decade, what would it be?

Meeting my best friends, the ones that make up Sincerely Yours. Or when I fell in a rapid glacier stream alone in the wilderness this summer, that is an ultra sharp memory that I will never forget, it’s the first time I thought that I might die. It was so cool cause my mind wasn’t there, life took over, I wasn’t scared until a lot later when I started thinking. I’m so happy about that experience.

When it comes to aesthetic and gang spirit, one could compare Sincerely Yours to Factory Records. Did you have any original preconceived ideas about how you wanted the label to be perceived and, has that changed over the years?

Whoa, can’t even remember. But I know I thought a lot more about what my life and it’s products should be like even if what I did was first and foremost on instinct even back then. But it can’t compare to know. Relatively I’m not worried at all about what I do know now. It kinda feels like I can’t lose or gain anything from it. I just do it. I always knew to a certain extent there is no point in thinking about other people’s perception of one’s work but now I know it with close to my whole being. When you truly feel like you do the only thing you can do, what’s the point in thinking about it?

During the mid 2000’s, you were very much at the centre of something very special happening in Swedish music: specifically Gothenburg. The Tough Alliance, The Embassy, Studio – almost a holy trinity of bands that went on to birth and inspire a myriad of others. Do you feel sentimental towards this period or was it just journalists lumping you in with a scene that was very much under its own path?

Now that you mentioned it I actually feel some kind of awe. But not sentimentality. I don’t think about it very often but I’m extremely happy I met those people and fell in love and get to spend time with them. I mean they were and are really close friends and we share universes in different ways. But it wasn’t bigger than a trinity for me. That trinity was it. What more could one need at one time? Now it’s a new time.

Speaking of Studio, you worked with Dan Lissvik for the first time on this record. What was his involvement?

As I said he’s a super close friend since a long time and I feel comfortable enough with him to share those ultra personal things. So he came in late in the process to help me with some technical aspects and taking decisions to wrap it up, I’m not very good at that. It was very nice having him around at that point cause he’s super calm.

Do you have plans on performing live this time around?

Yeah I have plans but it doesn’t look like they will materialise. It’s a fucking bummer cause I’d love to travel and meet people. Just not sure my sensitive little heart is ready for the stage part yet. When I go out, there simply are no limits, I save nothing for later, and I don’t want to leave this life yet, I have more things to take care of here and now.

Away from music, where do you find your inspiration?

The UFC. Spirits. Kate Moss. Plants and animals, sand and ice. Nike. Rene Daumal. Water and mountains. And last but not least – YOU.

CEO’s WONDERLAND is out now on Modular / Sincerely Yours.