The Swiss Pop duo TRUE makes music that feels like air: Uninhibited, breezy and when inhaled, it subtly shifts the atmosphere from the mundane to the magically sensual. Their latest single, entitled Hold It Back, is a sultry exploration of the idea of relationships in the age of social media. It’s the first song announcing Wrapped In Air, the release of the band’s forthcoming debut LP, scheduled to arrive this fall.
We caught up with Daniela and Rico and talked about the new record and also touched on their excellent rework of Kraftwerk’s “Das Model”!
What are you guys trying to Hold Back?
Rico: I just realized now that this is something I’ve heard a lot in my life, people telling me I shouldn’t hold back so much, let “it” out more; meaning feelings and emotions, good or bad ones. I’m not really an extrovert, so wow, the song is really about me, and I only realize it just now.
Daniela: Me too, I don’t know how to deal with emotional outbursts.
Is the song based on a true story?
D: All stories in our minds are true, but..
R: That’s actually why we’re called TRUE: we’re always making things up, lyrically, or we just sing without thinking and in most cases we realize, that it’s all TRUE. It gets scary sometimes. What I said before is a good example of this.
I’m sure people are wondering if you guys are a couple…
R: Even my grandfather is wondering if we are!
On that tip – do you guys have long phone calls about coordinating your wardrobes?
R: I wish it was more about music, but yes, in the end it’s always about these very superficial things, damn..
D: Superficial things can also be fun, sometimes I take pictures of special outfits and send it to Rico, but then I remember that he’s not doing any sports..
So what about this Kraftwerk cover? It’s amazing!
R: Oh thanks!
Who’s idea was this?
R: Not ours! We were asked to join a Kraftwerk overnight, at Bar 3000 in Zurich. It was a one-night-only thing, and I actually fucked up the beat completely. So we thought we have to do it properly and recorded it.
D: Oh yes, I remember that night! Ok, i had one Martini before, but I was wondering, why is he playing such a bumpy beat?
Did you check other cover versions before launching into recording, or was it all spontaneous?
D: It was already hard to choose the song to cover.
R: I only knew one cover version. Friends of ours have this band called Menschmaschine, and they play Kraftwerk with an all acoustic jazz formation, and they play Das Model as well. But we only had one night to prepare our cover, so it was all really spontaneous. We just jammed, until we had something.
Do you think they heard it?
D: Maybe?
R: No.
You should have your label boss pick up the phone and place that call to Ralf or Florian, on your behalf.
D: “Hi Ralf, this is Mouthwatering Records the label representing “TRUE” – “Who?” – “TRUE!!” “Beep-Beep-Beep!”
R: Oh yeah, you should tell him that. We can’t since he’s our boss.
So you guys are working on your full length now, correct?
R: Yes, right now. It’s so much work! We’re on it all day and night, very day now. It’s great!!
D: we are very excited, but it still feels like there’s no end in sight.
Why is that?
D: Our work is divided into two phases: a very fast and fun part and very slow and tiring second phase. The fast part is when we show each other our song ideas and try them out instantly just with piano or with two or three instruments. And then there is the whole part where you have to produce and record the songs, this can take days, years, a lifetime, even. But in the end, we are grateful to be able to do what we really love.
Looking back, can you see how your sound has evolved?
D: In the beginning we experimented with different sounds and styles. Videos for example is very elaborate and spherical, Vertyko has an un-danceable beat. Colors of my Estimation is more pure. Our new songs are a mix of all this.
Any surprises we should be ready for?
D: A surprise is a surprise!
R: I spent 6 months in New York last year and recorded horns for some songs. That came as a surprise, even for us. We never imagined horns could have a place in our music. But then I saw this great band called Reptar and they had this incredible horn section. They have a very precise, synthetic sound, which is perfect for us. Working with them was great and I love their parts. They recently recorded with Yeasayer and their own band is called Super Yamba Band, a great afro-beat band. They live in Brooklyn, you should check them out if you don’t know them yet.
In closing, since you guys are heavily into fashion, what’s the prognosis for this Summer? What’s a definite in and a definite out?
R: Well, wait for our album artwork and our new photos and you’ll see… the definite out.
Thank you.
D. Thanks.
