The Dø reveal new album Shake Shook Shaken; read our interview with the duo

The record will be released 26 January via their own label, Siamese Squids. In a press release, Olivia Merilahti said:

“In Finland, there is ‘sisu’, a sense of resilience and bravery that is a common, ancestral value to the Finns. Whatever happens, we don’t let go, we keep moving on. This followed us while writing the album. My lyrics are more or less surreal poems, on this record I talk a lot about finding oneself in chaos and knowing how to live with it”.

We were keen to expand on what the band had teased beforehand, so we spoke to the Franco-Finnish duo of Merilahti and Dan Levy about the record's creation, its intentions, and their decision to head for the synths.

Could you tell us about the record?

It's our third record. We stopped touring August 2012 and started working on it then sometime around 2013. we just wanted to use some new tools that we never used – things like synths and more synthetic instruments that we never cared for before.

What does it mean to you?

It's a lot about chaos and redemption and guilt and these biblical values. I don't know why; but they're universal, and I guess that might be some part of it. I don't think its darker though. We wanted to make a bright album, something with a strong sense of light, instead of something like the second album which was darker and heavier. This one is more – not lighthearted – but there's some courage, and I wanted to make it a brave and energetic album

How did you write it?

It's more Dan and I working separately on demos. We just exchanged ideas and chords and arrangements, and then we got together a little later a few days a week in our Normandy studio, in the middle of the fields. It's funny cause because we have such a discrepancy between our sounds and the surroundings! We wanted something artificial in amongst this natural world.

It was a challenge to make the non-acoustic sounds personal, warm and personable. Some traditional musicians might look down on those synths and tools as it's 'not supposed to be music' but I think that's wrong. We still wanted it to be pop, and it to be clear, as well as easy to approach.

What's “Miracles (Back In Time)” about?

That's a track we thought we would never solve. To me songs are riddles and enigmas, and we thought we'd never solve it. We kept some original parts, like the hook, and we made it a chorus for a new version. There was a lot of back and forth. We though we'd stop cause it was so tough! But we're stubborn, and we thought it was something to persevere through. The last bit was done in one whole night to solve it and managed to make it. It's kinda nostalgic, and about the answer to most things being not going back in time as the future's better.

What's inspired the record?

A few things. Movies – films like Akira and other manga/anime, lots of late '80s stuff. I was really inspired by the crazy psychedelic energy and geometric lines. I wanted to translate that into music. Die Antwoord is a band we love. They're underground-pop and they do all their art and videos and it's inspiring. It's like a kind of comic.

Do you have any plans to celebrate the release?

There's an album release in France on the 29th, and I think there'll be a party later. There's a long video we prepared, a 12 minute video/short film with many album excerpts. I think there's gonna be a combined release. It'll be fun!

The twosome are set to showcase new material at an upcoming London show: they will perform at the Village Underground 3 November. You can get your tickets here.

Watch the video below for their new single "Despair, Hangover & Ecstasy". You can check out the tracklisting afterwards.

Tracklist:

1. Keep Your Lips Sealed
2. Trustful Hands
3. Miracles (Back In Time)
4. Sparks
5. Going Through Walls
6. Despair, Hangover & Ecstasy
7. Anita No!
8. A Mess Like This
9. Lick My Wounds
10. Opposite Ways
11. Nature Will Remain
12. Omen

Shake Shook Shaken will be released 26 January via Siamese Squids.