Loa & Koan

A most spectacular debut album sees the light of day on October 22nd.

'Don't Know How Else To Describe It' – the first full length by Danish-Swedish indie pop trio Loa & Koan – is a voyage through evocative moods and sophisticated movements. Even though the songs are diverse and traverse between both solemn and outgoing the music follows a clear sonic narrative.

This is due to the different strengths that the band members bring to the table. Maria Jagd (violin, viola) and Loa Esaias (vocals) met each other as students at the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen. Sebastian Vinther (production) took an interest in the songs they had made and gradually a unique cocktail of bedroom recordings and studio embellishments emerged. A sound that pays homage to lo-fi icons like Daniel Johnston and Sparklehorse while also holding Bon Iver and Rihanna in high regard.

In their creative process, Loa is the visionary songwriter that comes up with the lyrics and basic musical structure of the songs. With her extensive experience in composing, Maria then refines Loa’s ideas and adds her unique string arrangements. And with his background in production, the multi-instrumentalist Sebastian has a knack for how the different elements fit together.

As Loa says:
» I guess I bring some material, Maria sets it on fire and then Sebastian pours gasoline over it!«

In regards to the thematic nature of 'Don't Know How Else To Describe It', he adds:  »I feel that there is an almost biblical theme that looms through the album; mankind's countless attempts to find something true and beautiful in a world that is seemingly cold and indifferent. Whether the scene is a mediocre afterparty, a psychiatric ward or the last seconds before a suicide, the characters in these songs are all looking for something, reaching for something, hoping for something. In the songs ”We were 16”, ”Antony” and ”All my friends and Charlotte” this theme of longing is examined through a personal lense. Together they form a triptych inspired by a group of friends I knew in my teenage years. While all of us were struggling with darkness in some way, some of these friends' attempts to find the light ended up in tragedy. On a more political level, in songs such as "JP and the End of the World" and "Childish Salvation", I address how our collective consciousness is desperate to find something to hold on to in the confusing times of late stage
capitalism. «