Songs for Sabotage

Songs For Sabotage are on a mission to create deep, danceable music within the pop spectrum.
FROM THE BAND:

Lina Sophie (lead vocals and guitar) and Richey Rose (bass and beats), the emerging duo called Songs For Sabotage, recently dropped their first, self-produced single, Fire. It’s a shadowy, cinematic gem with an undeniably infectious hook and guitar riffs paired with hypnotic vocals from Sophie.

The Stockholm raised, charismatic frontwoman sings with a subtle urgency over Rose’s bewitching bassline, especially on the chorus:

I’d set myself on fire for you / There’s not a single thing that you can do to convince me that I shouldn’t walk away.”

The lushly atmospheric b-side remix of “Fire” by Chris Huggett (formerly of Dragonette) features ‘80s horror flick synths and a moonlit-night-ride feel. The “Fire” music video was shot at Milk Studios in New York and directed by Mark Seliger’s first assistant, Nick Bean.

Fire is just one of the seven dark and very danceable songs off of the outfit’s debut album, ‘Deep Fake,’ due to be released later this year.

Songs for Sabotage’s story began in late 2018. The two musicians met when Rose was the featured DJ at Night of Joy, A few months later, they started writing and recording music in Rose’s home studio in downtown Manhattan. The band was largely born out of Sophie and Rose’s mutual love for Swedish pop, ‘80s new wave, and ‘00s electro.

“We want to offer more in regards to memorable songwriting, especially when it comes to a clever, classic pop hook,” explains Rose. The duo began collaborating around the same time their respective previous bands were breaking up. “One day we were at the Strand and saw this book of artwork titled Songs for Sabotage – we found it both an appropriate and humorous title for our then pet project.” says Sophie.

Though it’s barely been a year since they’ve joined forces, Songs For Sabotage have already played an impressive list of New York venues including The Sultan Room, Mercury Lounge, and Berlin.

Songs for Sabotage’s debut single Fire is available now on all streaming platforms.
They will be releasing a new single/b-side remix in February and March, and their 7-song debut LP ‘Deep Fake’ in early summer. - Downtown Magazine NYC

We first met Richey Rose when he was fueling the dreampop sound of Jennie Vee’s solo project. The American musician and producer has launched a new effort together with an expatriate Swede, Lina Sophie, and it has all of the hallmarks of his European-influenced guitar sound.

“Fire” is the first track from the forthcoming Songs for Sabotage album, and it has dynamics as sharp as Sophie’s cheekbones. - Cold War Nightlife

The art of music is an amazing thing. Inspiration can go in multiple directions. Songs inspire songwriters, and songwriters aim to inspire listeners with their art. The cycle continues with our recent find Songs For Sabotage.

We caught up with the Brooklyn, NY based duo for a deeper look into what inspires them and how they aim to inspire others. Enjoy the interview:

First off, tell us about the name Songs For Sabotage?

We got the name from a book of visual art we found at the Strand (NYC bookstore). The cover had an image that looked like billowing smoke from a plane crash with ‘Songs for Sabotage’ written across the top. We were both unhappy in our respective bands at that time; we felt the songs we’d been working on together had contributed to our decision to actually quit those old projects… neither of which could continue without us. Thus, they were ‘Songs for Sabotage’. We thought it was a funny coincidence but also had a deeper meaning. We took a photo of it and started putting our new songs in a folder called ‘SFS’. So it stuck.

How would you describe the bands sound?

Minimal guitar-based pop with electronic/new wave influences.

Which bands have had the biggest influence on you?

Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Smashing Pumpkins, The Kills

How does the band create a song?

We write/arrange everything acoustically on guitar/bass and then build out the beats/electronic elements. A general rule for us is the ‘unplugged test’ – the song has to sound good stripped down (i.e. without drum machine/synths) before we even consider programming a beat to it. Once we’re stoked on an idea we usually make a loop on the MPC or JDXi (synth) to start refining the groove. After that we’ll start piecing it all together in Logic. Then we export the drums back into the MPC and start trying to play it live. Lyrics randomly fall out of the sky for both of us – before, during, and after a song has been arranged.

What is your process?

Our process usually starts with something as simple as a cool guitar riff, interesting lyric or melody… but we leave a lot on the cutting room floor in the pursuit of making a song polished and succinct. We’re open to any type of potential influence while also being highly critical; nothing is off limits but a lot of refinement will be involved.

Your new music video for “Fire” is minimalistic yet powerful. Tell us about the making of that?

Minimalism is certainly a conscious theme/aesthetic of ours. We shot it in one day at Milk Studios in Manhattan back in November of last year. The concept and set design were [director] Nick Bean’s ideas. Since it was our first video and involved such a professional crew, we purposely left a lot in their hands. We did pick our outfits though!

What do you hope the listener takes away from a Songs For Sabotage song?

Danceable melancholy.

Share some advice for other bands making interesting music?

While it’s always important to have specific references for what you’re trying to communicate, you should ultimately aim for something that is personal, unique, and honestly reflects who you are as an individual.

What does the future hold for Songs For Sabotage?

Continuing to write, produce, and perform but on a more global scale. We plan on touring and releasing music in hopes of gaining supporters around the world. The most exciting thing for us is reaching people emotionally with our music, in the same way, we have been emotionally impacted by others’ art. We’ll aspire to that for as long as we’re around. - Indie Bang Guru

Where are you from?

Lina is originally from Stockholm, Sweden and Richey is originally from Lexington, Kentucky. We’ve both been in NYC for the past 9 years.


Describe your sound:

Minimal guitar-based pop with electronic/new wave influences.

Tell us about your latest track:

Our latest track (and debut single) is called ‘Fire’. It’s about caring for someone so much that you’d willingly suffer for them (“I’d set myself on fire for you”) while also realizing the relationship is toxic and not worth sticking around (“…but there’s not a single thing that you can do to convince me that I shouldn’t walk away”). It was the first thing we ever worked on together; we demo’d it back in 2018 before SFS existed. The original version was a faster tempo and way more electro-clash. We sat on it for a while and then reworked it into what you hear now, which was a lot more hip-hop/dub influenced.

Who inspires you?

British new wave/post-punk, Swedish pop, NYC hip-hop/trap. We’re inspired by the process of taking a song from idea to reality… from conception to birth. We’re hugely inspired by the future of music production; the fact that bedroom producers are topping the charts and impacting culture from their laptops. We both grew up playing in DIY/punk/hardcore scenes where technology did not play a huge role in the art form, but we’re very inspired by how this is consistently changing and evolving in the industry. We want to embrace that change while also honoring our roots.


Where do you see your career in 5 years?

Doing the same thing as we are now (writing, producing, performing) but on a more global scale. We plan on touring and releasing music in hopes of gaining supporters around the world. The most exciting thing for us is reaching people emotionally with our music, in the same way we have been emotionally impacted by others’ art. We’ll aspire to that for as long as we’re around.


Where can we check out your sounds?

We’re on all major streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.), have a music video out on our YouTube channel, and of course you can always come to a show! We play live in NYC often and plan to play other major North American cities this year (Philly, Detroit, Toronto, LA are on the shortlist right now). Scandinavia and the UK are also a goal!

Tell us something about yourself that people need to know.

We are entirely self-produced and make everything you hear in Richey’s apartment.


Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/songs.for.sabotage/

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2DSEeQNXfRUCitkK4oQY3Z?si=DvlSTzI9RsquyKbjwlWH6A

‘Fire’ Official Music Video - https://youtu.be/b4aQ4v1sQbk

Official Website https://www.songsforsabotage.com

Downtown Magazine Premiere - https://bit.ly/37bB27m - Music Money PR