Achieving Longevity While Still Waiting For That 'Big Break'

On their new single, Peace Of Mind, Swedish electro-pop outfit Little Dragon have collaborated with iconic R&B vocalist Faith Evans. The song was written during the making of Little Dragon's fifth LP, 2017's Season High, but, as much as they liked it, the band didn't know how to finish it. So, eventually, they sent the song to producer Raphael Saadiq, who polished its rough edges. When a place for a guest vocal was held, the band brainstormed who they wanted on there. "It felt a bit unrealistic to think of Faith Evans, but then we thought, 'Why not ask?'" recounts Little Dragon drummer Erik Bodin. "Then all of a sudden it was reality, and then it was done."

When Little Dragon began, Bodin admits they "were trying to do the neo-soul thing". Bodin was born into a family of jazz musicians (his grandfather a trumpeter and bandleader, his uncles drummers and pianists), and grew up playing in jazz, rock and even reggae bands; often with future Little Dragon keyboardist Hakan Wirenstrand. They went to the same Gothenburg high school as vocalist Yukimi Nagano and they started the band as teenagers in 1996. They didn't do much 'til they got a computer in 2000 and their first single, Test, didn't even come out 'til 2007. And only then released it because a friend pestered them to put it out on his label. "We were very shy," Bodin admits. "We weren't confident enough, or mature enough, to push the music ourselves. It was a blessing that a record label wanted to release it." 

But, from their first release, Little Dragon instantly found fans via MySpace ("I'm sure our Top 8 was all my other weird side-projects," Bodin laughs) and they've slowly grown with each LP. But, with their fourth LP, Nabuma Rubberband, the band were "really trying to aim high", out to deliver a genuine crossover set. In hindsight, Bodin isn't sure about how they fared. "I really love a lot of that album, but I think it's a little bit impersonal, not so generous with our own ideas."

So, for Season High, the band "wanted to go back to that self-made, homemade, hand-made kind of thing". Continuing to shift and change, Bodin says, is a way of keeping the band interesting, for both members and listeners. Even after 20 years together, five albums in, the quartet is still committed to working together. "We always talked like that: trying to stay in the business for a long time. We've succeeded in that. But we're still waiting for our big break."

Wait, what about getting a Grammy nomination (for Best Dance/Electronic Album) in 2015? "Yeah, maybe that whole Grammy nomination, that was it. It's all downhill from there!" Bodin laughs. Another definitive moment, he says, was playing Prospect Park in New York City. "There was 5,000 people there and we were hearing that lots of people were trying to jump the fence. Even though there were so many people, we felt really close to them all. What matters to us is the crowd. Even if you're only playing for 200 people, if they love what you do, if you're locked into this thing together, that's what counts. Maybe that's not the definition of having a big break, but that's what keeps you motivated."