Interview Electric High

In this interview, Electric High's drummer Tor Helge Oppdal shares insights on Colorful White Lies, the band’s debut full album. From unique vocal dynamics to genre-blending sounds, discover their journey and what’s next!

1. Congratulations on releasing Colorful White Lies! This is your first full album after 17 singles and 3 EPs. How does it feel to finally share a complete body of work with your fans?

Thank you! We’re feeling excited, relieved, thankful, energetic and ready to play the full album live! We just can't wait to start recording album number two, the material is there!

2. Colorful White Lies spans several recording sessions across four years, yet maintains a “red thread” of cohesion. How did you manage to achieve a unified sound and feel despite recording over such a long period?

I guess the sound of the band is the result of the five band members. Even though the band parted with the original drummer, T.B. Bjelland, before the last studio session, the new drummer, long time friend and band member in earlier projects, T.H. Opdahl, knew exactly what the band was all about..

3. Your album features a wide range of styles, from high-energy rockers like “Sun” to heavier tracks like “Weeping Gods.” Was there a specific theme or message you wanted to convey through this diversity?

Well, you know, life… We just take into account that we don’t have to narrow down our musical approach when we write and develop the songs. The band strongly refuse to be a one trick rock’n roll pony. If the songs are good enough, the band willingly explores the different outskirts of the rock genre. We’re confident that the sound of the band will shine through different of musical expressions.

4. The two-lead-vocalist dynamic is a distinctive feature of Electric High. How do you feel it influences your songwriting and overall sound?

Oh, glad you asked about that. The two-lead-singer dynamic plays a very important role. We always have this in mind during songwriting, and we believe that this element sets us apart from other bands.

5. Can you tell us more about the process behind writing and recording Colorful White Lies? Were there any memorable moments in the studio or creative breakthroughs along the way?

We’ve used the same two recording studios with the same two sound engineers throughout the years. That has helped us maintaining our sound, and at the same time small differences between the two studios have given us extra ideas along the way, and a clear idea of what we want. I guess that more than a breakthrough along the way, all the things we’ve done has led to where we are today.

6. The album’s title track, “Colorful White Lies,” has been described as a more modern-sounding piece. Could you share the story or inspiration behind this song?

Colorful White Lies is a song about all the different lies you can tell. The small harmless white, to the bigger black ones. Inspired by life itself.

7. Colorful White Lies was recorded and mixed at Solslottet Studio with co-producer Iver Sandøy. How was the experience of working with him, and what do you feel he brought to the project?

Iver Sandøy is a great musician, sound engineer and long time friend. He brings in new ears, and naturally takes a producer role, just because he wants the songs to shine. Although he is mainly a drummer, he also plays string instruments, and he contributes with ideas during recording.

8. Your band’s sound has been likened to a mix of Rival Sons, Royal Blood, and Aerosmith. Were there any specific influences you had in mind while creating this album, or did you find inspiration in new places?

We use the elements that each song demands. If a song has a flamboyant funky riff, it may sound a bit like Aerosmith, and so on. If a gritty, doomy riff carries a song, you even hear the echoes of Black Sabbath. Its all about what the songs need.

9. Electric High was formed during a chance encounter in Bergen. Looking back, what were the early days like, and how has the band evolved since then?

Well, the band was formed as every rock band should, on a late night out in Bergen. Luckily, one of the band members, after a bit of thinking, remembered this a few days after the incident, and informed the others involved�� What’s funny, is that our new drummer, Tor, could easily have been there. He was in the adjacent bar that night, looking for his friends (the members of what would become Electric High).
Our main song writer, PV Staff, had clear ideas about what he wanted the band to sound like from the start, but still, every member brought in something different. The punk energy, the gritty, doomy darkness, the funky riffs and the melodic sensibility. Now, we feel that we no longer wants to become something, we ARE what we want to be, and at the same time, we want to evolve.

10. Among the tracks on Colorful White Lies, do you each have personal favorites? If so, what makes those tracks stand out for you?

Well, that was a difficult one. From time to time, we discuss this, and each band member has a different answer every time. Sometimes we dig into the doomy darkness of Weeping Gods (check out the video), sometimes we’re carried away by the energy in Sun or Wasted, sometimes we’re excited when we hear the madness of the Cyclone refrain, sometimes we adore the groovy bass line on Colorful White Lies, the big drums on Waiting With A Gun… It’s not possible to decide!

11. “Weeping Gods” is said to be the darkest and heaviest track on the album. What inspired this song, and how does it reflect the overall journey of Colorful White Lies?

Yes, Weeping Gods is the darkest tracks on the album. The guitar/bass riff is the lord of this song, and we’re so happy with how the vocals both contrasts and plays along with the darkness of the riff. The song is inspired by the intriguing element in Christianity that tells us that regardless whatever you’ve done and how evil you’ve been, you’ll enter heaven if you just ask Good for forgiveness before you die.
If you think of each track as a room in a house that’s called Colorful White Lies, Weeping Gods is definitely the cellar, and we love to be there, making friendships with the ghosts and the spiders, but we also need to go to the other rooms, and even outside. We need light, we need air, we need speed and we need joy. I think we’re back to were we started: Life, you know…
12. Finally, what do you hope listeners take away from this album, and where do you see Electric High going next in terms of musical direction or live performances?
We hope that listeners hear the genuine love that the band has for rock music. This is not a result of a marketing agency wanting to earn money. This is a real band consisting of old friends, playing real music, on real instruments. We already have new songs that will guide us along the way. There will be more of the high energy straight forwardness, the darkness, the funkiness, the melodic sensibility… We shine in the studio, but live, we rule! Please join us on the journey!

Electric High