Exclusive Interview with SECRET TREEHOUSE

Secret Treehouse, an independent pop group from Bergen, Norway, is back with the catchy single “Lovers in the Streets”! According to the band, the song “Lovers in the Streets” is about the feeling of newly-found love in a relationship and being liberated while out and about in public. On a more upbeat note, Secret Treehouse continues with their distinctive blend of vigor and melancholy encased in their well-known vocals. From the first beat, this song hooks you with a memorable riff! Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

SECRET TREEHOUSE: Me (Anja Bere, vocals) and Sveinung started the band a few years back. We moved to Bergen and then met Tormod, and then later Trond Espen and Marius joined. I would say when we all got together to make the record (The Big Rewind, 2019) there was this feeling of everything coming together. We found a sound together where we cracked the code of songs we’ve been working on for a many years, at the same time as we continued with that sound on new songs.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

SECRET TREEHOUSE: I do not have any formal training as in musical education, but I have worked consistently with a vocal coach over a period of time to find my sound and to work on my technique. The other guys do have more formal training, in sum both in their own instruments but also within music production.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘SECRET TREEHOUSE’?

SECRET TREEHOUSE: Being 5 in the band, we have very different inspirations. Some uniting us and some dividing us, haha. To name a few I think we can all agree on David Bowie, Radiohead, Røyksopp, Robyn, Susanne Sundfør. Radiohead’s and Sundfør’s way of being uncompromising about their music is very inspiring and liberating.

We can all gather around the vision that we want to make music that has great melodies, carrying indies vibes with both light and melancholy.

Secret Treehouse is about a form of escapism. It can be exemplified in an organic secret treehouse where it is life and creativity in a desolate cold urban place. The place you retreat to when you need some distance and escape from reality. We like to describe ourselves in contrasts, the dark versus the light, the urban and dead versus the green nature. We like to think that there is a green creative hope in the midst of all the darkness and we find creativity in these dichotomies.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

SECRET TREEHOUSE: I hope that we are able to convey great strong pop melodies with a melancholic twist that hits the listener and makes him /her escape into a more dreamy world and access something within themselves. I suppose I would describe it as indie pop with a dark and dreamy element, but always built around a solid melody and a riff.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as INDIE?

SECRET TREEHOUSE:

Well, for myself, I see that I found a lot of inspiration in much harder music than what I am part of making today. I listened a lot to Alanis Morissette, Nirvana, Foo Fighters in the early days. I think especially, I took a lot of inspiration from the way Alanis was singing and I probably have something with me from her today as well. However, when I later found my own sound I discovered that my voice sounded much more natural and also original when I did not compress my voice as much. Also, for me it was a natural transition to work our way from pop-rock as we started out making many years ago, to a more personal indie pop-vibe.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

SECRET TREEHOUSE:

We agree that music can function in many ways, both as culture bearers and have a political function. I think we used to be more political in our younger days, but we still have political commentaries in our music. Our song “Wrong Hands” is the clearest example of this and the video for that song is beautiful, but also kind of depressing when you reflect on how much power is in the hands of some disturbed few people.

7. Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

SECRET TREEHOUSE:

Usually, Sveinung writes all the melodies, and most of the lyrics. He sometimes has a vision of what direction it is going in, but all the arrangements and input from the rest of us is valued equally. We arrange the songs together, and work on it until we agree that its has the right feeling. We can all bring new ideas to the table, both when it comes to our own instrument, or one of the other’s instruments.
In some ways it can be difficult to say stop and to be sure that a song is finished. It is always tempting to add another element, but sometimes, and often, it does not make the song any better. It is often better to hold back and say “enough” and stick to the core of the song. Also, it is great to have a producer who can say that enough is enough, while having that outside perspective.

8. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

SECRET TREEHOUSE:

It really depends on the criticism. Sometimes it bites a lot, sometimes it’s easy to ignore, sometimes there’s a voice inside your head saying there might be some right in the criticism, and sometimes it kind of ignites a fire of will to just continue working and pushing. Like an us-against-the-world feeling.

9. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

SECRET TREEHOUSE:

As a band we have been working mostly in the studio together the last couple of years, so we definitely miss the live performances. We enjoy it a lot, working in the studio. Also, working on new songs together, and being in that creative mode together is great when we hit that promising unique energy that a new song can give you.

However, there is no comparison to the energy and feeling of the music that you get from a live performance. Studio and live are so different things. In the studio you repeat and repeat your craft until you’re content, and it becomes very technical. In the live setting it is more about feeling it and acting it out. It is also about the technicality of it of course, but you only get one shot at it, so you just have to make it work and it does not have to be perfect – that is the magic of it.

10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

SECRET TREEHOUSE: No, I do not think that our lyrics and message of a song needs to be understood fully. I have my feeling of a song and I interpret and convey it as I feel it, but it does not necessarily come across in the same way to the listener. I like the notion that it can mean different things to different people, and if I can make someone feel something and hit a nerve in someone I am very happy with that in itself.