“Between Two Waves 2”

Band Name: After the Noise
Song Title: Those Were The Days
Written by: Ingrid Støylen Runde / Robert Post
All instruments played, recorded and mixed by Robert Post
Produced by Robert Post

Silja from eardrumspop hooked us up! At the time she had no idea we already knew each other, and that Ingrid had heard Robert do an amazing solo gig at the world’s smallest festival (aka our friends tiny boathouse party) in beautiful Hjørundfjord. We found that different musical backgrounds and mutual friends was a good starting point for collaborating.

Ingrid: “For me, this was a first – I’ve hardly ever co-written anything, and never via e-mail. So it was slightly nerve wrecking to send my lo-fi sketches (no one ever hears my sketches normally) to a musician I admire. But then, to receive sketches back from Robert, hear his version of my ideas, his new ideas and how he developed the music and brought his magic – amazing feeling! And really inspiring to talk about the whole song writing process, how ideas develop, how you sometimes don’t know what a song is about before it’s written and somehow the lyrics live a life of their own.”

Robert: “I’ve done a few co-writes on songs included on my own solo albums, but never done anything like this before. We “decided” that I’d just get a sketch from Ingrid and then let it develop from there. Instead of composing parts to finish the song I thought I just start recording and producing it in the studio right away.”

Ingrid is a singer and teacher living in Oslo. Her previous projects and collaborations are varied to say the least; from improvisational music through French chanson, singing own takes on 60s pop music in the duo When the Ship Comes In, and now writing in Norwegian for her jazz and folk-inspired trio.

Norwegian singer, composer and lyricist Robert Post debuted with a worldwide release of his eponymous titled album in 2005. Awarded Best Male Artist and Best Video at the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammys the same year, etc.

Ingrid: “I guess I provided the initial idea first. Sent a verse and some refrains to Robert, played some sparse chords and bass on a midi keyboard in my bedroom and sang into my laptop, added some gibberish lyrics where I hadn’t made anything, to get the feel of a form. Then Robert brought the track to his studio and started recording a guitar on top of it, and then another guitar, a bass, and some drums, and then he made some vocal harmonies (that gave me the chills), and sent it back to me. Then we met in Oslo, to write some more lyrics and record my vocals again.”

Robert: “I asked Ingrid to send me a song sketch and then take it from there. I loved the rawness of the demo, the mood and the feel to it. So rather then writing new parts, as I thought I would, I began recording on top of the demo. Something, which gave me a lot of headache as I slowly moved forward producing the track. It took a lot of editing, cut and paste of my own recorded drum and bass parts to end up with the feel I was looking for. It still sounds a bit off. But I’m happy about it. Two guitar tracks made up the basics and that gave me the direction for everything else.

Ingrid and I met up on a Friday morning finishing the lyrics at my place, then recording her vocals in a rented rehearsal space in downtown Oslo in the afternoon. I brought the session to the studio where I usually work (Velvet Recording) and finished the mix with just a few extra overdubs and harmonies on my vocal parts.”