2004 (BBC Interview)

“When we started out, a lot of our friends were doing different things, creating things all the time,” says Johan Duncanson, one of the founding members of Swedish four-piece The Radio Dept. “People were into painting, writing, photography and so on. Once the band was formed, it kind of became the musical side to the collective. A music department. There was a car radio shop in Lund, where we lived at the time, called Radioavdelningen, Swedish for The Radio Dept. We thought it a fitting name.”

Like the petrol station-cum-radio repair shop they’re named after, Malmö’s The Radio Dept possess an eccentric do-it-yourself nature. Their music is made in the bedroom using scratchy drum machines to underpin charming, sweet melodies with the occasional unexpected dark side. It all makes for a beautifully lo-fi wash of offbeat noises and nostalgic harmonies.

“It's very rewarding, in many ways, to record at home instead of in an expensive studio, with a producer who doesn't understand what you're trying to do,” says Johan. “You hopefully end up creating something much closer to what you had in mind if you make it your own responsibility to get there, instead of leaning against someone else.”


He cites Stereolab, Arab Strap, My Bloody Valentine, Saint Etienne and The Avalanches as some of the acts the band most admires, and you can hear how these have influenced The Radio Dept’s unusual, twisted approach to pop music.

British listeners will be relieved to know that the band sing in English rather than their native tongue. “It has nothing to do with making it big,” Johan assures us. “We've always listened to British and American music and you tend to get inspired not only by the music but also by the ways of using words. I guess it has something to do with creating a different identity for yourself. A character that you can step into and feel safer.”

The band are already beginning work on a new album for next spring but there are no plans for expensive studios and producers. “We're sometimes extremely insecure about everything concerning the band and I guess we're easy to manipulate,” worries Johan. “One more reason not to hire a producer. She or he would be able to sabotage everything before we dare say anything about it.” And that would certainly be a shame.