Seasonal sounds
Swedish dream pop act gets boost from #12SongsofSummer project
David Alexander went for a little swim at the beach.
It was a much-needed break from the day he was having. “It’s been one of those days,” he says in a recent phone interview from his home in Sweden. “My car broke down on the motorway. I had to get it towed. So I didn’t make it into town to work on new music. The swim was a big distraction from it all.”
Alexander is best-known as the mastermind behind the dream pop outfit Summer Heart, whose profile has been rising, thanks in part to his #12SongsofSummer project.
In the project, Alexander is joined by other musicians and vocalists on various singles.
He’s been releasing a single a month. “I wanted to challenge myself with the project,” he says. “Previously, I had been doing albums and singles. I wanted to show people what I was working on right now. I decided to write and produce one song a month and release it the next month. This is to keep people up-to-date. Other bands and artists spend years on producing music. When it’s time to release the music, I just want to do the new stuff. I want to be more in the present.”
In tackling the project, Alexander also has added a lot of pressure to his daily life.
Not only does he have to write and produce a track, but it has to be good.
“It’s exciting and scary at the same time,” he says. “I have to make sure that I’m spending my time working. Some tracks come quickly, while others will remain in my head for a while.”
Alexander also has his father to bounce ideas off of.
“Most of my friends, for fear of hurting my feelings, won’t give me any feedback on my music,” he says. “My dad is a musician as well. He’s the ultimate test. He is able to tell me when a song just isn’t there. He’s not afraid to give me negative feedback, because it ultimately helps me see the situation in another way. The worst part about it is that he’s always right. This is the reason I don’t go back to listen to older tracks. At the time they are released, they are good. If I go back and listen to them, then I feel like I could have done so much more, because my skills have gotten so much better. I always want to be perfect.”