Interview The Deer Tracks: ‘We Feed On Inspiration’

The Deer Tracks are currently hiding away in a small hut in the woods in a distant part of Sweden, but we didn’t let this stop us getting hold of David Lehnberg, one half of the duo, for a good old chat about ‘The Archer Trilogy’, other people and the bigger picture.

You’re about to release the second installment of ‘The Archer Trilogy’, what progression has the music seen since the first release?
It’s hard for us to step outside of our own music and tell you what’s going on in this trilogy. But I can say this; I think of it as a small river that becomes a flood that will end up as an incredible, powerful and magic ocean.

Will part two see continuation in terms of music or lyrics or have you sought to make something completely different all together?
If you see the whole trilogy and all its parts like a puzzle that is broken into a million pieces that you’ll have to make your best to sort out, this how it’s going to sound. It’s parts from everywhere, somewhere and vice versa. Small glips and hints both back and forth finally forming that “ocean” I spoke of earlier. But also, a natural progression, as the story unfolds bit by bit, piece by piece.

The second installment is longer than the first, taking more of the shape of an album than an EP. Are you building up to an even longer release in the final part of the trio?
The format of the third part isn’t decided upon yet. We are working on it as we speak. But we also have a “prologue” prior to part one to add both more confusion and depth this whole story, so to also do an “epilogue” after part three isn’t completely out of the picture either. You never know, if we feel we have more to tell you about this trilogy, we can go on forever if we have to.

You’re currently working on the final part of the series, how is that going?
I think it will be our most daring and provocative release so far. Expect the unexpected. Be ready to travel deep and wide and everywhere in between logic, brain, heart and soul. Your emotional landscape will determine the course of the journey you’ll experience with us.

Do you find taking time out from recording the final part to promote the second disruptive?
Not really. We feed on inspiration and different experiences, and no matter where we get it from we always make something out of it. And it’s not like we haven’t made music and lyrics for the third part along with the recordings of part one & part two So it’s all in good hands and we have faith in what we’re able to make out of it all.

Being holed up in a cabin in the woods must get quite intense. Do you ever need time apart from each other and do you ever wish there were more people involved?
More people are not an option! We have a live band but that’s a different story. We work best when it’s just us, isolated with our thoughts in an environment surrounded by nature. We get back to our inner core. Our thoughts and feelings get synchronized and then music starts pouring out of us in endless different ways.

Do you find reactions to your music differ in different countries?
We aren’t that much concerned with what people think of our music. We do what comes from our mind, body and soul. If people like it, it means they can connect with us, the ones who can’t just can’t and that’s it.

You’ve always been a very proactive duo but what made you decide to make a trio of releases?
We had a vision of a bigger picture that wouldn’t fit within the frame of “an album” so we started to think what would be the best. And to do a series of releases and have a natural evolving storyline felt both exciting and interesting. It also gave us the opportunity to really challenge ourselves and our ways of creating music.

What’s next for The Deer Tracks after ‘The Archer Trilogy’?
We’re living inside of this trilogy that it’s almost impossible to think of something else right now. But I am sure we’ll do something different from the trilogy. Both music-wise and format-wise.

Finally, will you be playing any shows this summer?
Yes. Some festivals and special gigs. Also some shorter touring will be brought upon Europe, US and Asia. Then we’ll escape into the woods somewhere again to finishing up part three!

‘The Archer Trilogy Pt. 2’ will be released on 22nd August 2011