Inside Nina Persson’s ‘Animal Heart’

After doing two albums with her side project, A Camp, Persson released Animal Heart in late January. During our phone call she discussed working on the indie pop album with her husband, Nathan Larson, and her favorite tracks to play live.

She also commented on the possibility of The Cardigans getting together for a 2014 tour or a follow-up to the band’s latest LP, 2005’s Super Extra Gravity.  

Interview below …

You played Amsterdam last night and you’re playing Luxembourg tomorrow. So, where are you today? Are you already in Luxembourg?

Yes, we got to Luxembourg today. … Actually we’re not in Luxembourg, we’re in a strange suburb or something. We’re practically in a shopping mall. And it’s very strange.

What’s on the agenda today? Any time to have fun, go sightseeing or are you just doing press?  

No, today we didn’t bother because it was not a very exciting place. But we went out for a good meal actually, and now I’m in bed because we’re all kinda pooped. So I’m just going to chill tonight. But tomorrow, I think before the sound check, we’re going to try and go into the city.

You did a few shows in your homeland in February. How was the reception in Sweden?

It was really fun. We did all of Scandinavia. It was great.

Now you call Harlem, N.Y., home. How long have you lived there?

I’ve lived there for what is it, seven years.

What’s your favorite thing about the neighborhood?  

Well it’s hard to just say one. Well, from the start, my favorite thing was that we could afford a really good house. And now I just really like it. It’s very friendly. It’s fun. It’s very diverse. It’s not all gentrified, not like the rest of the city, at least. It’s very inspiring and it’s beautiful.

I just watched the video for “Animal Heart” – was that filmed in New York ?

Yeah, it’s in Harlem.

Why did you decide to release an album under your own name rather than with A Camp?

From the start it was kind of [a] boring, logistical decision because I have a kid now and I just realized that if I’m going to continue with my job I have to plan everything meticulously. So I just figured that I’d do it on my own so I can be the only person that needs to be moved around, so that I can make the decisions.

How old is your child?

He’s 3 and a half.

So I understand that just like your last album with A Camp, you wrote Animal Heart with your husband. What is it like writing songs with him?

It’s great actually. We usually work with other people too. It was me and Nathan and this guy, Eric Johnson, from Portland, who’s a good friend of ours. So it was the three of us and it’s really fun.

[Nathan’s] good at it and he also brings out good stuff [in] me. I’m kind of a procrastinator – I have a hard time getting started but he is the absolute opposite so he really sort of kicks my ass a little bit (laughs).

When did the writing and recording actually take place?

We wrote it and recorded it and mixed it over a year but we worked very sparsely. It would sometimes be months [in] between because Eric would come to New York from Portland and we would work for four or five days and then he’d go back. So it was in little stints.

Did you write all the songs together? Were there any that you wrote on your own?

We mostly wrote them together, actually, sort of in the same room. Eric wrote some on his own and brought them to us and we finished them up together. And there was one song with Joan Wasser. So it was mostly the three of us just, you know, puttering around in my house, in our studio.

You mentioned the song that Joan Wasser wrote, “Food For The Beast.” How did that song come about?

Well, she’s an old friend of ours. It’s the classic thing where several times we’ve talked about “Oh, we’re going to do something” but that’s kind of what you do with most of your friends who are musicians. (laughs) But now I really thought that it was a good time to do it so she just came over to the house one night and we played around and came up with the song. … I’m really happy about it.

Can you talk about the decision to name the album Animal Heart?

Well it was really the song [that] came first. Then when we were done with the record I just thought it was a strong song and a good name for the record. Also I thought it sort of summed up what I always write about.

What’s the set up for the live show? Who are you touring with and what instruments do they play?

I play with a drummer – he also played on the record – his name is Brian Kantor. He’s from a band called Yellow Bird. The keyboard player is Johanna Cranitch. She’s lying next to me in this bed right now, we share a room [on tour]. (laughs) She’s in a band called White Prism, which is great. The bass player’s name is Grant Zubritsky. He plays with a lot of bands; he’s a touring musician. He’s amazing. He plays a lot of synthesizers also with me. The guitar player’s name is David Dawda, he’s a really great Brooklyn musician. I sort of met them through each other and through friends. And they’re awesome.

Do you just handle vocals during the live show?

Yeah, I handle the vocals and then I play a tiny bit of crappy keyboard. And then I play the harmonica.

What are your favorite songs from the album to play live?

Well, this song called “The Grand Destruction Game” is really fun to play because it has a narrative quality to it. And that’s always good when it’s live. And then “Food For The Beast” is really fun, of course, because it’s a little reckless. Those have really sort of grown. I liked them, of course, when I made them but they sort of really grew as individuals live.

You did some dates with The Cardigans last fall. Are there any plans for 2014 gigs?

I don’t know yet. … Maybe, I’m not sure. I’m quite busy right now with this record so it may be a little too much. I played with The Cardigans in November last year and it was really, really fun but it also made this all be kind of insane for me. … I may have to space it out and do one project at a time. I mean, I have a kid so I’m also sort of making my husband stay home a little more than he’d liked to.

But it was really fun so [The Cardigans] keep sort of thinking about it. And we may.

Are you thinking at all about releasing another album with The Cardigans or is that also on hold for the time being?   

Well we’re talking about it [and] we all think it would be fun. But it is kind of an insane logistical project because everyone lives all over the place and people have day jobs.

So we would just have to really figure out a solid plan that would work right now.

That makes sense. Well, it sounds like you definitely have a full plate right now with the new solo album and your family life.

Yeah, and I also feel like I’m really happy the way [things are]. I love The Cardigans … but everything is sort of under control right now. … You only make a record when you get to a point when you really crave it. So if we do, we’ll make one.

Upcoming dates for Nina Persson:

April 12 – Vienna, Va., Jammin’ Java     
April 13 – Philadelphia, Pa., World Cafe Live     
April 14 – Boston, Mass., Brighton Music Hall
April 16 – Brooklyn, N.Y., Baby’s All Right
June 14 – Aarhus, Denmark, Adalan (Northside Festival)

For more information please click here for Nina Persson’s Facebook page. And click here to purchase her album via iTunes.