Bergen-based psych-rockers Electric Eye are premiering their new single Turn Around, Face The Sun exclusively with TeamRock. The track, which is inspired by “the blues, India and the ever-expanding universe”, blends hazy guitars with a mesmerising, thrumming bassline, motorik beats and a preoccupation with world music that would make Revolver-era Beatles proud.
Just over a year since the release of second album Different Eye, Electric Eye are, apparently, once again “ready to pull you into a new whirlwind of psychedelic and hypnotic rhythms”. If the new single’s anything to go by, they might just succeed.
Below, we catch up with singer and guitarist Øystein Braut to get the inside story on how the single came to life, and what the band have lined up for next.
What’s the story behind the song Turn Around, Face The Sun?
“We just finished recording our third studio album, and Turn Around, Face The Sun is the first sneak peek from the album. The song is kind of a link between the last record and the new. Still with a very familiar ‘Electric Eye signature’, with gloom and monotonous grooves and sitar, we have tried to give the lyrics and vocals more attention and make it more in the shape of a ‘regular’ song. I was watching the movie Bullit with Steve McQueen, and there is a scene in the movie with a jazz band playing in a bar. They sound so strange and cool and we wanted to build something on the same vibe.”
What drew you to the themes covered on the song?
“You can hopefully read the lyrics in a lot of different ways. I like not to be too obvious or specific in our poetry. There is a mood in the song reacting to the fucked up-ness of the world, including some of the main issues in our time like climate change, building walls between communities, etc. Mainly, our goal with our words and instruments is to give the listener some pictures in their mind, and we thought the title sounded cool and inspiring.”
What’s your favourite story or anecdote from recording the single?
“We are recording ourselves in our own studio. Bass-master Njål’s dog, Bark Bacharach, appears on some of the songs. She was walking around in the studio and would bark whenever she felt we needed some ‘hounds of doom’ vibes.”
What do you hope people will take away from Turn Around, Face The Sun?
“I hope they do turn around and face the sun. Time to wake up, kids!”
You’ve toured extensively – what’s your favourite story from the road?
“What happens on the road, etc! We have been to Japan, USA and all over Europe. It’s one of my great pleasures in life, to get to see places and meet people I would never have met, had it not been for the music.”
Do you have any plans to release anything else soon?
“Yep, there is another single coming after the summer holidays, and our album is coming out in November. Can’t wait to show the rest to you!”
What’s next for Electric Eye?
“We are hiding out, staying underground until the album is out, then we head on out, jamming all over the world.”
