Temperature Falls
Temperature Falls is a trip-hop/alternative rock duo based in Oslo, Norway that blends influences including Bjork, Massive Attack and Pearl Jam into a brilliantly atmospheric and original new sound.
Composed of Norwegian vocalist/lyricist Camilla and British multi-instrumentalist Ian J. Ward, Temperature Falls have released three albums to date. Ian was also signed to Visible Noise / Sony Europe with his previous band ‘Number One Son’.
The duo uses music to create moods and tangible feelings that resonate deeply with its listeners and their tracks are both contemporary and classic at the same time- instantly pulling you into their deliciously hypnotic worlds.
Hide
"A dark indie electronica track with hints of industrial. a sprinkle of trip hop and an alt rock vibe chorus.", das klingt schon mal vielversprechend. Indie Electronica mit dem richtigen Hauch Industrial versehen ist immer hörenswert, wie ich finde.
Temperature Falls kommen aus Norwegen und haben auf ihrer neuesten Single auch etwas TripHop meets Alternative Rock Vibes mit an Bord. Entscheidungen zu treffen, sich zu verstecken um diesen zu entgehen als Thema. Dieses Thema rankt sich um das perfekt erschaffene Klangbild. Voluminös im Sound und Bass getrieben, beinahe wie das Hämmern in einer Schmiede mit all dem Zischen, Klopfen und Rattern das mit einhergeht. Der Herzschlag einer Maschine steht im Duell der rohe Gitarrensound gegenüber, der Gewinner, der Song selbst.
Die Vocals, anfangs zerbrechlich wirkend, steigen langsam und stetig empor um sich dann voll entfalten zu können, werden eins, gehen in Synthese mit den Sounds. Alles endet wie es begonnen hat. In der Dunkelheit. "Hide" by Temperature Falls a dark song with the ability to shine.
Q&A
Temperature Falls are...?
We are based in Norway , just outside of Oslo. We had a chance meeting at a party and were both going through some personal issues and were both there to just get some respite from this and just enjoy a few hours. We got introduced by a mutual friend and Ian started talking about how he was soon moving from Uk to Norway and had been in bands before but wanted to start a new project, studio based at first and moving on from there. I had been singing from a young age and had never really found the right project.
After hearing some of Ians demo’s I was 100% in. Ian moved over into a basement apartment in Jessheim as few months later and set up a studio there and we just threw ourselves into it.
The name - well, when. Ian came over at the end of April 2019 we had this crazy summer! I mean like 5 months of intense sun and heat. Ian would walk down to the outside bar in Jessheim town every evening to have a few beers and listen to rough mixes he had made.
He thought he was living in Spain :) shorts and T shirt every day - sun till midnight in July, he couldn’t believe it! But the bar staff who he got to know used to warn him ‘ just wait buddy until the Temperature Falls, you’re gonna have a shock!
He started naming mixes TF 1 ,2 etc and we went with it , it became a joke that stuck. He did have a shock come that winter - dark by 3pm and -20C !!
Who inspired you to make music in general ...and especially to the song "Hide"?
This is a really difficult on, we have some many influences from so many genres. Ian grew up with 80’s influences from his parents - The Police, Blondie , Sade etc and developed himself into blues guitar with the likes of Ry Cooder which then transcended into the grunge scene and Pearl Jam which was a gateway into Nu Metal sounds of Korn and The Deftones.
Ian was in a metal band and signed with Visible Noise / Sony Europe and toured and released a few albums with ’Number One Son’ from the Uk. But even during this he was still listening to non metal and struck a big connection with the Bristol music scene and the newly termed ’Trip Hop’ made popular by bands ‘Portishead’ and his all times heroes ‘Massive Attack’.
I had grown up in Norway listening to a lot of various US and UK pop and also some popular metal. I had a huge love for Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga and also fellow Norwegian female singers such as Sussane Sundfor and Astrid S.
“Hide’ in a way continues of the back of our 3rd album ’Nobody To Believe In Anymore’ released earlier this year in that its quite dark and personal. We are dealing and talking about our own demons and how we try and get through tough times.
Musically it started with a guitar part in the verse , drones of notes, can hardly be heard in the mix but it set the tone for the whole song. There’s defiantly an Industrial feel to the beat, a nod of the hat to the legend Industrial pioneer Trent Reznor.
Mix that with a trip hop vibe of mixing live instrumentation in with the electronics and a kind of alt rock attitude in the chorus music. So you could say a mix of Nine inch Nails with massive attack and the deftones :) the vocal staying emotional throughout cutting through the music on its own path.
The track has this great mixture of different genres (a bit of Industrial, Electronica, a touch of Art Pop), how much time did you invest to find the right mix of the sounds.
Yes as discussed in the last question a few genres here. This track we spent I would say over a month in the studio perfecting the sound , the vibe and the balance of the music. Getting the bass , the guitars to really sit in and complement the industrial and trip hop vibes.
It was a lot of fun and worth it in the end. The bass really shapes the song from the intro , the choruses and the second verse. Even in its absence in parts of the track it is shaping the vibe and allowing more subtle electro sounds or guitar drones to come to the fore.
What is your creative process like?
We will discuss feelings and vibes of what we want to create musically. That’s kinda of a broad brush stroke in a way because we never force what comes out as we feel that is ‘fake’ , we only want to create what comes naturally in the case of a vibe, we are always pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone to be better and challenge ourselves but the thought or style of the music is true to us and will always be that way.
Ian will take that and create some ideas, we will sit and listen to parts and discuss if we like it and if we should continue with it- if so where to go with it in which direction. And work from there , sometimes Ian can go off for a few weeks and come back with 2 or 3 finished tracks and I know straight away they are going to be great because I can see it in his eyes when he wants to show something - he has that spark and enthusiasm.
Other times he’s has 4 or or 5 parts or ideas and maybe he is struggling to find the path or meaning and we will work on things - I might be like ‘ heel yeah I’ve got a great melody idea for that piece of music etc. after the music is finished I will take it and listen the hell out of it , driving in the car to and from work etc and get that feeling of what it means to me and how I associate with it. Ill write lyrics often as Im recording . Ill pass these over to Ian and he mixes and then we have more listening sessions and make tweaks here and there.
What's your most useful talent besides music?
Ian is an engineer in construction - Im a nurse, not sure if talents but its who we are.
Ian can drink a lot and not get drunk and appear totally sober - a true skill. I can drink 1 beer and feel tipsy!
You are from Oslo, how would you describe the music scene there?
We feel pop is dominant here , we know we are different, we transcend genres which to us is cool but I feel that here in Norway we don’t fit.
We have a lot of interest from other places but here in Norway we can’t really get any press interest even music bloggers , we are too many things and not one style.
Our genre can change song to song but its the way we write and what is inside us and we won’t change.
What was the first ever Pop/Electro/Alternative ... song you listened to or remember on?
For Ian an alternative song that he says changed his life - Pearl Jam ‘ State of Love and Trust’ on MTV unplugged. He knew after that he wanted to write and perform music, he started playing guitar and bass seriously after that and songwriting.
His first memory though was listening to his dad’s Blondie greatest hits vinyl. I blame this now for his love of blondes!! I remember first hearing ’Teardrop’ by ‘Massive Attack’ and been absolutely blown away also Röyksopp when they came out. I always wanted to sing but until I met Ian I didn’t realise I wanted to write music too, Im glad we do
What do you prefer, a live gig or a studio session?
At the moment studio, we are thankful we have our own new basement studio here in Fenstad now, it saved us really in the pandemic and the lockdown. We could carry on creating and recording. I think we would have really struggled the last 18 months without that mental outlet.
We made a home live lockdown show we put up for free on Youtube for our fans during the horrible time just to say thanks for all the support they have given us.
It was really enjoyable but because of lockdown it was just 2 of us there , we had to perform and sort out stationary cameras and some gimbal shots and edit it all ourselves. Worth it though lots of fun and some beers were drunk!
Do you remember your first live gig?
Ian has performed 100’s of shows , thinks his first may have been in a basement club on Mathew Street in Liverpool. Famous street in Liverpool for music - home of the Cavern club , often played by the Beatles in the 60’s.
My first show was probably a wedding, I often got asked to sing at weddings growing up by family and friends.
What’s next for you?
We're back in recording and writing mode , we had a few months off after the last album but we are fired up and ready to go again. ‘Hide’ is the first track from these sessions
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