Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.08.2017, Page 35

TRACK BY TRACK
Mammút –
'Kinder Versions'
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen
Album
Out Now, vinyl & online
Mystical and intimate post-rock-
ers Mammút recently dropped
their newest album, ‘Kinder Ver-
sions.’ To get the meaning behind
each emotional tune, we sat down
with the band.
1. We Tried Love
This is our love song. We created
two different worlds for it—one
like velvet and the other more
rough and striped. The song
is a conversation between the
introverted and extroverted sides
of yourself when going through
heartache. It is written with love,
for love.
We wanted the vibes to be
nothing but kind and filled with
a reverb of peace. It is one of
the most innocent ones we have
created. We wanted children
and animals involved and strong
symbols of tenderness and inno-
cence. It brought us all joy inside
our tears like Stevie Wonder once
so beautifully put it.

2. Kinder Versions
‘Kinder Versions’ refers to
memory and how we create
kinder versions of past situations
and moments. It is a struggle to
get a clear reflection of your past
because with one’s mind, the
past can be brought into a wider
perspective. It can also be beauti-
fied. The whole album is playing
around with this idea in one way
or another.
3. Bye Bye
This is an subconscious intro
into the next leading song of the
album (‘The Moon Will Never
Turn on Me’). It was recorded
through a laptop mic in the
turmoil of the album recordings.
The song was written as a duet,
and the only singer we wanted
was Robert Plant. Unfortunately,
that didn’t work out so it ended
up as a conversation between the
split mind of one voice.

4. The Moon Will Never Turn On Me
When you realise that everything
will somehow be ok, the world
will continue spinning and you
just have to sit back, let go and
embrace every horrible thing that
comes with it—this is ‘The Moon
Will Never Turn On Me.’ The song
is in a way a reaction to the rest
of the album.
It was written in a big ware-
house in the outskirts of Reykjavik.
Everything sounded boomy and
had to be made big to make sense
in that space. We wrote it as a huge
guitar anthem but when we brought
it into the studio, we realised it
was the only song that didn’t ask
for guitar so Júlía, Katrína’s sister,
translated it into cello.
5. Breathe Into Me
This song came together very
easily, like it was written in a
heartbeat. It’s a psychedelic pop
ballad that plays the role of ‘the
breather’ on the album. It has
a slightly brighter tone, and is
carefree and effortless, which is
essential for the album to make a
full circle.
The song is about the brief
moment right before the most
intimate ritual.
6. Walls
Walls was the first song that was
written for 'Kinder Versions.' The
lyrics are the result of images
from a very strong dream.
7. What’s Your Secret?
Maybe this one is about the
absurdness of what day-to-day
conversations can turn into.
8. Pray For Air
We wrote ‘Pray For Air’ inside a
tiny space with one open window.
It’s about the big contradictions
that appear when you have nar-
rowed your thoughts down into
a shady lane. The chorus lead
guitar is saying everything that
really needs to be said about this
song though.
9. Sorrow
Here, one’s current existence has
become a threat to the past one.
They play hide-and-seek for a
while until letting go and leap-
ing into a threatening, but oh so
exciting new area.
35The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15 — 2017
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