ANDØLD is a new trio built from an unlikely foundation: a writing session that produced almost nothing usable. What it did produce was a connection between three experienced artists — producers, songwriters and industry veterans — who later reunited during Amsterdam Dance Event, spent the week together, and gradually turned a loose creative friendship into a fully formed project.
Their debut single, ‘Dive’, is the first release to emerge from that process. The track sits across deep house, progressive house, indie dance and pop without anchoring itself to any single one, a result the group say was never consciously planned. Genre, they explain, was not discussed during the session. The blend came from three people with different musical backgrounds simply following instinct and making something they all liked.
One of the more striking decisions behind ‘Dive’ is its vocal. Matilda and Marlene recorded the track singing in unison into the same microphone, largely in single takes. The approach was unplanned — the two were working through a topline idea together when the reaction from the rest of the group made clear that what they had captured in that moment was worth keeping exactly as it was. Pulling it apart to clean it up, they decided, would have cost the record the energy that made it work.
‘Dive’ also marks the launch of ØBSCURE RECORDS, the trio’s own imprint. The label reflects the group’s intention to apply what they have learned from years inside the industry on their own terms, including a policy of giving every songwriter master points — a detail that speaks to where their priorities sit as they build the project out.
Two further singles are already lined up for release. In conversation with Magnetic Magazine, the group were candid about the tension that comes with experience: knowing how the industry operates can be an asset, but it can also lead to overthinking. Their sessions work by stripping demos back to their strongest core element and rebuilding from there, with each member pushing the others further than they would go alone. The name that has come to define their approach — forgetting about the industry and just making something because it feels good — is, they say, a balance they are getting better at finding.
Source: Magnetic Magazine
