Never Say Never

While the days have largely passed when an artist might release two studio albums in quick succession, a decade has elapsed since Moon Safari issued Himlabacken Vol. 1.

And while they have not usurped American businessman cum musician Dean Gitter (who took a mere 57 years to follow up 1957's Ghost Ballads with Old Folkies Never Die), the Swedes were fast approaching the almost 12 years that elapsed between King Crimson's Three Of A Perfect Pair and Thrak.

So, after a steady work rate that yielded the band's first four studio albums in the period from 2005 to 2013, how on earth did it take Moon Safari so long to release the excellent Himlabacken Vol. 2?

“Perhaps we can blame the kids?!” says lead vocalist/acoustic guitarist Petter Sandström from his home in Stockholm.

Sweden’s birth rate this millennium has dropped well below two children per woman, but Moon Safari have clearly been doing their utmost to buck the trend and expand their homeland’s population.

“When we started this recording, there were four kids among the six bandmembers; now there are 16,” expands Umeå-based bassist/vocalist Johan Westerlund.

But beyond the domestic matters and day job commitments that continually slowed the progress of making the album, there were some band issues.

“There was just so much circus along the way,” Westerlund says with a sigh, and admits there were times when Moon Safari thought that the album would never be finished.

“This process has taken forever. It felt like the album was cursed. When we got the master done this summer, a big weight was lifted. Then it was onto the fun stuff – getting the artwork and everything ready for release and starting to talk to people is such a different world. It’s hard to realise that we’re done.”