Rotten Mind

Rotten Mind - Jakob Arvidsson

  • 9th December 2021
  • Online
  • Phinky
  • Lövely Records

Last month Rotten Mind returned with a new bass player, Liz Panella (Earth Girls / Siamese Twins), and their new single, Serpent Eyes. The single is the first taste of the band’s upcoming fifth album, Unflavored, and the first new music from the band since their 2020 album, Rat City Dog Boy. Besides the new single and member, Rotten Mind, have also announced a 14 date Spring 2022 European tour in support of Unflavored. We caught up with Jakob Arvidsson, aka Jakob Mind with his solo project, to discuss the new single, the line up change and what’s next for Rotten Mind.

Serpent Eyes is your brand new single. What’s the story behind the song? Is it just me or there are some new wave influences in the sounds?

  • We’ve always tried to blend in some new wave and post punk things in our music and this is our natural evolution. As a musician I always want to evolve and keep things interesting for myself. The lyrics are about feeling out of step with the world and trying to get by as you watch the world in your own way. Like, it’s easier to get by if you watch it in your own way.

What are the bands that usually serve as an influence for Rotten Mind? What’s different this time, on this single but most importantly… on the upcoming album? Is there any band or artist that’s completely outside your sound that influences your creativity?

  • It’s always been a big range of different bands or genres for us, influence wise. I’m not sure if we have something extra special on this record, it all came together pretty natural for us. I try to listen to pretty much anything and take bits and pieces from everything. 

Let’s talk about your new album. What sparked the creative process? Is it hard not to repeat yourself after two or three records? 

  • It can be. I felt like we maybe did pretty much the same thing on our previous records, but we got better every time at it. This time we actually tried and managed to do something different that I’m super proud of. I think that’s what sparked our creative process this time, as we already had a new-ish record out before, but we felt that we had something else to offer. 

Sweden has always been a very prolific country for music, especially punk and the likes. Is it very hard to promote your music outside Sweden or it’s not that hard, considering the European geography?

  • For us, Sweden has been the problem. We’ve never had problems with playing anywhere else, but Sweden is harder. We usually go on tour in Europe and play sick shows and then get back to Sweden and we can hardly play anywhere. I don’t know why. 

Have you ever happened to write song lyrics and then scrapped them because they were too strong? What makes lyrics good lyrics and what makes them cheesy or not interesting?

  • Not sure. I throw away A LOT of lyrics just because it doesn’t feel right, and I’m not sure why. Maybe I’ve thrown away my best words but if it doesn’t feel right it’ll not go on the record. I guess it’s different for everyone who writes lyrics, you do it your way. I can listen to music and hear something that is completely genius, but it’s something I would never write. 

What changed in the band’s process since Liz Panella (Earth Girls, Siamese Twins) joined the band?

  • It’s been great. Liz is a really good musician and she fits in our band perfectly. We haven’t started writing any songs, but we’ve done a couple shows that went great and it really feels great to have her in the band. 

What’s going to happen once you release this new album? How long until you’ll start working on a follow up?

  • We’re gonna go on tour and play, play, play. That’s our only plan right now. Then after that, only time will tell. 

Serpent Eyes is out now on all streaming platforms via Lövely Records.