Interviews About Albums: OCKRA - Gratitude (2023)

In this new interview, we sat down with the Swedish Progressive Doom Rock band OCKRA to ask some questions about their new album "Gratitude". 

1. What can you say about this new EP/CD?

The songs got written under the pandemic years. Concerning the songwriting, our aim was to lean into the feelings and ideas that felt natural, without setting borders. Without restricting the outcome to a certain genre or stile and just go all in with a certain feeling was very liberating in the process. We think that you can hear that on the album. It is very emotional.

Our first release (EP) in 2020 was much more a trial and error approach and was entirely produced at home by ourselves. With the album we wanted to get further productionwise as well as in terms of songwriting, so we booked the studio “Die Muehle” in Hesedorf and recorded all instruments in a live setting for the entire album in a week. The studio is situated in an old mill on the countryside in northern Germany between Hamburg and Bremen. There are also horses on next to the mill, so you could take a ride and chill with them inbetween the recording sessions. This environment made the recording process to something very special, being isolated in our calm and peaceful bubble. While it is somehow good to focus, when you have to record everything in one week, with the vocals we wanted to take the time that is needed. 90 % of the vocals are recorded in Alexs garden cabin and Jonas flat. The guestvocals from Alex sister were recorded in the studio in basically one take.

2. What is the meaning of the EP/CD name?

The album is called “Gratitude” and to summarize it in a sentence: Even when life is hard and you perceive throwbacks through strokes of fate you should be grateful for the time being around, being with the ones who you love. You could call the album a concept album, given that this topic is present in all songs. The lyrics were mainly written by Alex during the pandemic period. It was not so much the pandemic situation that made him writing these lrics, but several sicknesses that occurred among his friends and family. Together with the lock down situation and having your friends and family abroad (Alex is from germany), you started to think “will I see him/her again?”. The sum of all this happenings made you really reflect over the time you have on this planet in general and how you fill it.

3. Which one is the composer of the CD/EP?

We all compose the songs together. Usually someone comes upp with a song idea or parts/riffs (often Jonas) and then we put it together in the rehearsal room. The lyrics have been written by Alex.

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

“We, who didn´t know”: This is the song we completed as last before going to the studio. We think this is the strongest song. It ombines all elements we like and that we want to develop further in the future– there´s a folky/americana acoustic part, nice singing harmonies, a great build up in dynamcs with a heavy emotional ending...and, of course the Mellotron;).

5. Is there a special message in this EP/CD? If there is what it is? 

See answer in question 2

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

Lyrics from “We, who didn't know”:

A dream I had these days.

Where we felt weightless, again.

We were driving around and talking

about future plans.

Everything seemed clear to me.

And now that you´re in pain

we just pretend being the same person as before

Pretending being immortal and that nothing could harm us.

There's so much I´d like to say

But words are heavy as stones

This burden I carry with me

Being gone - feels like betrayal to you

And now that you´re in pain

we just pretend being the same person as before

Pretending being immortal and that nothing could harm us.

Some things are irrevocable

Nothing lasts and all comes to an end.

If we would have known what comes

Would we have lived in another way?

Try to hold on to what we´ve been through.

All that remains are the moments we share.

7. Which inspirations have been important for this album? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank specially?

For the whole process our families have to be thanked a lot. They stood out with our “hobby” and always were supportive even though that meant, that we weren´t att home rehearsing for the studio. Without them, the album wouldn´t have been possible.

We take our inspiration from good songrwiters in general, no matter the musical stile. Names that come up more often, are Radiohead, The Ocean, Muse, Opeth, Crippled Black Phoenix or Besvärjelsen. Each of us has different favorites. Erik is very much into progrock/metal, Jonas has a favour for jazz and classical music and Alex listens a lot to singer songwriter stuff. That´s also where the main inspiration for writing lyrics comes from. It is artists such as Townes van Zandt or Hannes Wader (German singer songwriter) that were big influences. What they have in common is the ability of telling a story and taking with them on a journey. The lyrics are easy to understand but deep. This is what we also try to achieve.

8. Something to add?

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