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Dungen Could Be Speaking in Absolute Gibberish but You'll Still Love "Franks Kaktus"

We interviewed the Swedish psych band who speaks in their native tongue, yet is still able to cross language barriers.

Stockholm, Sweden may not be known for its psych scene, but if you're a music fan it's certainly known for Dungen. For the past fifteen years, Gustav Ejstes has written and performed under the name and although it is now a collaborative four-piece, he is still the heart and soul of the band. It's been five years since the group's last full-length Skit i alit, however their upcoming album Allas Sak was well worth the wait. Mind-bending, melodic and mellifluous, this collection of songs proves that no one has really been able to fill Dungen's void. In other words, we're lucky they're still around. See for yourself via our premiere of the Allas Sak's "Franks Kaktus," a song which truly transcends both genre and language. Order yours via Mexican Summer ahead of the September 25 release.

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NOISEY: Do you think listeners can appreciate the music even if you can't understand the Swedish language?
Yeah, because I can look at myself listening to a cassette of Brazillian or Turkish or all kinds of lyrics that I don't understand. That's the beautiful thing about music: You can definitely feel and hear something anyway. Of course the lyrics are very important to me but at the same time I know I can express some kind of feeling without people knowing exactly what I sing about.

Would you say the lyrics on Allas Sak are very personal?
Yes, and they always have been. My wife said that she thought one of her favorite song on the album was about a relationship to some friend I had but I had to tell her, "No, it's a song about weed." [Laughs.] It's personal and about me going through personal stuff but even though my wife understands Swedish [she still has her own interpretation.] I think it's nice when you can built your own worlds and get your own meaning of it.

Do you like the fact that people can get their own interpretation to the music and, like your wife, get something out of it that you didn't intend?
Definitely. It's not a main purpose that it should be like that. It's totally amazing when people feel something and get some kind of trip out of the music lyrically, so I try to keep the meaning of the songs for myself. I mean now I told my wife that song is about weed but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who really likes the music.

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Is there a big psychedelic scene in Sweden these days?
I don't know. It depends on how you define psychedelic music. A few years back there was a psychedelic festival in Sweden and one of the guys in the band Mattias (CHECK) helped set it up. There are a lot of bands that sound really different from each other, but how do you define psychedelic music other than the fact it's kind of mind-expanding? People say our music s psychedelic i've never said that myself. I think there is more of a global psych scene going on [than a regional one].

Well with Dungen, I think a lot of that comes from the fact that there are a lot of solos that sound improvisational.
Yes. That is maybe the way we could be like defined as psychedelic. For me that's a tradition from the sixties and seventies when things were free and the way to play the songs could be pretty loose. Some other music could be like very structured but when we play songs we pretty much just let it go—and of course we improvise a lot, so in that sense it's I guess psychedelic. But I mean at the same time [by that logic] jazz music should be psychedelic, I guess. I don't know. Sorry, what did you ask?

It doesn't matter. What do these labels even mean, really?
Definitely, that's how I feel also. I think the modern culture isn't so very old but it's been used again so many times and sampled so much that now it's a mish-mash of something that has already been done. So I think it's more like you can talk about playing in different kinds of traditions more than sticking to a certain kind of genre nowadays. I mean I was born in 1979 but with younger people it's even more like everything melting together.

Speaking of melting pots, are you excited to tour the States again?
Definitely. I mean since there is so much activity going on, it seems as if there's more bands and acts and music than ever and I'm humble and surprised that there's still interest when we come out with a new record. Having been away for a while and we still get all these positive reactions and it's amazing, so I'm really looking forward to coming and playing in all countries and to meet people again with this music.

When's the last time you were here?
With Dungen, I think it was 2010 so it was five years ago. But I've been there with other projects and the other guys have also been there with other bands; people come up to us at those shows and ask about Dungen so it's nice to know they haven't forgotten about us.

What are you looking forward to doing in New York?
The label who we have been working with for all these years Mexican Summer is in New York so it's fun to hang out with those guys. I don't have Instagram or Facebook personally so i'm not good at keeping up with people but the other guys in the band are better and are friends with people so there's a lot of folks to hang out with, I guess. Like I said, i've been there with other projects and every time I go over the bridge from Brooklyn it's like, "Okay, once again I'm able to come here with my music." I'm from Sweden. It's amazing.

Jonah Bayer can eat his weight in ramen noodles. Catch him on Twitter.