Interview with Mikkel B. Jakobsen - The Foreign Resort
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I'm pleased to announce that The Foreign Resort is making a comeback. Their latest single, "Resound," is set to release on Friday, March 15, and let me assure you—it's an absolutely fantastic track. But then again, we wouldn't expect anything less from TFR. In light of this release, Mikkel B. Jakobsen, the band's frontman, has graciously agreed to discuss the new single and their plans for the upcoming months.
"Resound," your latest single, is set for release this Friday, March 15. I must say, it's a fantastic piece—energetic, with brilliant electronic elements complementing the impressive bass sound. Your vocals are also in fine form. As you mentioned, it's an optimistic song, which is a bit unusual for you, as you've admitted with a smiley face. How did the inspiration for this song come about?
Thanks you so much for the kind words. Yes, "Resound" seems to be The Foreign Resort in party mood. The melodies just dropped on me like inspiration usually does. It actually worried me a bit to begin with, because I’m such a big fan of melancholy and prefer to have us sounding dark and gloomy. But we decided to go with it and Alioscha’s drumming and additional tambourine and disco cymbals at the end of the song made it a total happy-go-dancing-song, which we’re having a lot of fun playing. The lyrics are personal. I’m in a good place now, having gone through a rough time over the past couple of years.
The mixing was done by Francesco Giuliano (HAPAX). Can you tell us about your collaboration with him?
We are super happy about working with Franz! When we toured North America with HAPAX back in 2022 we got along really well with them and at some point during a conversation (it was touring, so things are blurry) Franz said that he would like to work with us on our next album. He saw a great potential in our live performance, bringing that energy into a recording. Once we started recording the songs for our next album we got in touch with Franz. He did a "draft mix" of "Overturn", the single we released in October 2022 and this quick mix already took the song to a new level. Franz is extremely skilled at mixing and mastering. Add to that the very good relationship and communication we have and you have the ingredients for an amazing album.
"Resound," your latest single, is set for release this Friday, March 15. I must say, it's a fantastic piece—energetic, with brilliant electronic elements complementing the impressive bass sound. Your vocals are also in fine form. As you mentioned, it's an optimistic song, which is a bit unusual for you, as you've admitted with a smiley face. How did the inspiration for this song come about?
Thanks you so much for the kind words. Yes, "Resound" seems to be The Foreign Resort in party mood. The melodies just dropped on me like inspiration usually does. It actually worried me a bit to begin with, because I’m such a big fan of melancholy and prefer to have us sounding dark and gloomy. But we decided to go with it and Alioscha’s drumming and additional tambourine and disco cymbals at the end of the song made it a total happy-go-dancing-song, which we’re having a lot of fun playing. The lyrics are personal. I’m in a good place now, having gone through a rough time over the past couple of years.
The mixing was done by Francesco Giuliano (HAPAX). Can you tell us about your collaboration with him?
We are super happy about working with Franz! When we toured North America with HAPAX back in 2022 we got along really well with them and at some point during a conversation (it was touring, so things are blurry) Franz said that he would like to work with us on our next album. He saw a great potential in our live performance, bringing that energy into a recording. Once we started recording the songs for our next album we got in touch with Franz. He did a "draft mix" of "Overturn", the single we released in October 2022 and this quick mix already took the song to a new level. Franz is extremely skilled at mixing and mastering. Add to that the very good relationship and communication we have and you have the ingredients for an amazing album.
Regarding the photo in the video, it's quite intriguing. Is it jewelry, mercury, or perhaps a reflection of water drops on glass or a mirror? Who took the photo?
The photo was taken by the very talented Megan Amalie Richter from Vancouver, Canada. Megan took the photo in Japan in 2018. It's the water droplets that were collecting on the top of a fish tank in a Tokyo bar. It was a glass top but also had a mirrored back. So it's basically a bunch of water drops collecting at the top and being reflected while also reflecting the lighting.
The photo was taken by the very talented Megan Amalie Richter from Vancouver, Canada. Megan took the photo in Japan in 2018. It's the water droplets that were collecting on the top of a fish tank in a Tokyo bar. It was a glass top but also had a mirrored back. So it's basically a bunch of water drops collecting at the top and being reflected while also reflecting the lighting.
Does this single hint at an upcoming album? If so, when can we expect it to drop?
This single does indeed hint an upcoming album. It will however take a little while before we are able to release the album, so we’re doing the next best thing, which is to release singles throughout 2024 and then hopefully we can present a full album on one or the other side of new year. At the moment we have 11 new songs, some recorded, some partially recorded and some still as demo version.
This single does indeed hint an upcoming album. It will however take a little while before we are able to release the album, so we’re doing the next best thing, which is to release singles throughout 2024 and then hopefully we can present a full album on one or the other side of new year. At the moment we have 11 new songs, some recorded, some partially recorded and some still as demo version.
You're gearing up for another tour soon, starting at the end of April in Italy, followed by WGT and Germany. What can your fans expect at these concerts? Will you be showcasing any new material?
To continue the album talk: Yes, we will be performing new songs throughout the year. Both the songs released as singles as well as other new material to be included on the album. The setlists are never set in stone, so I guess we’ll see exactly which songs will be played. But we’re itching to play our new songs for you out there, so that will definitely happen.
Any other news from The Foreign Resort you'd like to share?
Hmmm, well, like you are writing, we are gearing up for shows. It has been a bit quiet lately, so we are making plans to tour around Europe starting in the fall of 2024. Lots of German cities but also France, Italy, Spain and everywhere people would like us to come and play.
Thank you very much!
photo credit: Jaysen, @secretplaygroundphoto
New single ‘RESOUND’ out March 15th on Artoffact Records - https://theforeignresort.bandcamp.com
Listen via your favorite streaming service - https://www.theforeignresort.com/links
TOUR DATES 2024
www.theforeignresort.com/showstickets
April 26 Drunk in Public, Trodica, Italy
April 27 Your Funeral Party, Covo Club, Bologna, Italy
May 19 Wave Gotik Treffen, Leipzig, Germany
June 8 Darkmas Fest II, Witten, Germany
October 19 Logo, Hamburg, Germany
November 2 SubKultur, Hannover, Germany
November 15 Oceanen, Göteborg, Sweden
November 16 Basement CPH, Copenhagen, Denmark
