INTERVIEW: Summer Heart

 
It’s not often that a band’s name truly reflects their sound, but when it comes to Swedish solo pop act Summer Heart (David Alexander), you can expect just that; hazy, sun-bleached tracks that are the perfect anthem to remembering hot July nights filled with skinny dipping and sleeping in.
Summer Heart is back with a new track ‘I Got This Thing For You’ from his upcoming collection of tracks titled “12 Songs of Summer”. Balancing dream-pop motifs with a washed-out nostalgic sound to capture the soundtrack of an endless summer, Summer Heart infuses the new track with his experiences of the past month.  Not a single, just music released as it starts to feel right.  Compared to the likes of M83, Washed Out, and Tennis System, Summer Heart’s sound is familiar yet all his own. 
Hey David – welcome to BBM! What’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to you so far this year?

Thanks a lot! Oh so far I think just doing the 12 Songs Of Summer project (#12SongsOfSummer) is the most exciting. 
Tell us more about #12SongsOfSummer and how this project came about.
First of all it’s because I wanted to show people what I’ve been working on like right now, rather than what I was working on like two years ago or something. I always feel so excited about what I am doing in the moment so I wanted to share that rather than saving up tracks and make an album. Also because I released an album last year and felt it wasn’t time for another album already.
Your commitment to release one song a month seems very demanding, it doesn’t leave you with much time to relax and rest. When was the last time you had a proper holiday then and where did you go? 
True that, but that’s the point. I don’t want to rest I just want to make tracks, and I want to get better at it and right now, for me this is the best way to practise and having fun at the same time.
My last holiday was about a year ago. I went to Budapest, Hungary. It was amazing. Lots of nice vegan food and cosy and really cheap bars everywhere! But I am actually tagging along for this sailing trip this summer. Excited about that. I am normally quite seasick so we’ll see how it goes haha.
You’ve recently returned from SXSW, how was that? It’s your second time there, did you do things any differently this time around?
It was actually my third time there. This was the my best SXSW so far. I kinda realised that it’s not about playing shows but more about going to other artists’ shows and meet people. When you play too many shows yourself you don’t really have time for anything else … you know. running around, setting up, soundchecking, all that takes a lot of time.
You keep on going back to America, to perform and to record. What draws you there? Is moving to America the dream then?
I have so many great friends in the US, especially in New York, that I love to work with and hang out with so that is one reason I go there a lot. And then my drummer Matt is based in New York as well so we’ve done lots of rehearsing out there … Not sure if I would want to move there but hey who knows, maybe one day.
You’ve collaborated with Joakim Buddee on your track ‘I Got This Thing For You’. Do you have preference to creating music on you own versus with someone else? Who would be your dream collab?

Working with Joakim is always great, we’ve done lots of stuff together. And yeah, the more I work with people the more I enjoy it. It’s all about finding the right people to work with! I don’t have a dream collab or anything but it would be awesome to write and produce a track with NAO. She is really cool.
Now spill the beans please, what’s your guilty pleasure song! 
Haha all European 90s dance music! Sash!’s Ecuador is probably one of my favourites! Not sure if it’s a guilty pleasure but one of my all time favourite songs is Return of the Mack by Mark Morrison!
So what does the future have in store for Summer Heart?
More new music and more exciting collabs and some touring in autumn. That’s my plan for now at least.

www.facebook.com/summerheartmusic/
soundcloud.com/summer-heart
open.spotify.com/artist/0JlTFsR41vwvQTppOR3yio?si=k-fT9PSeSYCZxsmrjxcNWw
twitter.com/summerheartxoxo
www.instagram.com/summerheart/