Photo by Nicolas Munoz
Today, indie pop artist and producer, bob junior, released his very first album titled ‘friends, vol. 1,’ packed full of dynamic collaborations with his friends. This album comes 2 weeks after the release of his catchy, debut solo single ‘Sunshine,’ intended to encapsulate the uplifting feeling of the first sunshine after winter – and being from Norway… those winters are quite extensive.
The new album showcases a different artist on almost every song, each contributing their own distinctive flavor, yet holistically wrapped in an experimentally playful, bob junior wrapper. The record is a reflection of bob junior’s versatile taste beyond his typical indie pop outlet, offering a range of sub genres from sultry latin pop to heart-pulling, head-banging rock. You’ll not only find new singles by well-known artists like Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast, Dent May, FUR, Inner Wave, (and more), but also interludes with family members, a phone call with his dad and the debut single of his wife. Woven with unexpected sound effects and eccentric rhythms, bob junior has created a soundtrack for your whimsical, nostalgic daydreams.
Ahead of his big album release, I had a chance to sit down with the easy breezy, production-nerd, bob junior (Esteban) to discuss the new album, the new single, and some inspirations behind his music.
Ava: I want to hear a little bit about your background because from what I’ve gathered, it’s very unique – you’re from Bergen, Norway with Chilean heritage and now you live in LA. Very interesting mix there; how does this blend impact your music, your way of life, whatever.
Esteban: Growing up in Bergen was awesome. It’s dark. It’s rainy. And a lot of cool punk and black metal bands. I kind of got into the punk/hardcore/black metal scene when I was a teenager and just stuck with it for like, 10-15 years. Even still – like I still play in hardcore bands. I still love that.
Ava: Really? Okay, so you still work on that genre of music even though it’s radically different from the indie music you’ve released under bob junior?
Esteban: Oh yeah, I love it. I think I do a bit of everything. Same with my Chilean background; I love doing Reggaeton you know, that’s also a part of me. And that’s kind of where I started this project, because I don’t see myself as an artist at all. I’m a producer. That’s what I identify with. So being a producer, I can produce whatever genre I want to, as long as I have good writers and good voices with me.
Ava: So with respect to your creative collaborative process, do you figure out the song and then you find the artist that would work best with it? Or is it more of a collaborative process with the artist?
Esteban: It’s both to be honest. Like sometimes I just wake up with a melody and I go to the studio with that song and then I’m like, holy shit, imagine, I don’t know, like Paul Cherry, on this – that will be sick. And then I hit them up. And sometimes, like with the Dent May song on my record, I randomly met him at his studio and I told him, ‘Let’s do a song together,’ and he was down. So we started from scratch.
Ava: Have you met some of your favorite bands by reaching out to them to collab?
Esteban: I’m working with Bethany from Best Coast; she’s on one track of my album, which I love. But yeah, obviously meeting Bethany for me was huge. Since the first album, I’ve been in love with that band and her voice and the way she writes. So to meet her when I got that session locked in. I was like, holy shit, this is the biggest thing I’ve done.
Ava: Do you have any other dream collabs?
Esteban: I gotta think. Ah. like there’s this Chilean cumbia band that I would love to work with *chuckling*. No, no, no, but for real, like I love that band, they’re called Chico Trujillo.
Ava: Your wife’s debut song is on this album, how was that? Was she a singer before? Or were you kind of like, honey, can you come sing on this?
Esteban: She’s always been, I’ve always thought that she has a great voice. So we went on a cabin trip in Norway and I brought my equipment because being a week away from everything that’s music is really hard for me. So I brought that with me and we had a couple of glasses of wine and I said wouldn’t this be cool to do together? And she was like, yeah, let’s try it out. I mean, we’ve been married for 10 years now. So to write a song about being so stupidly in love with another person and not needing anything and actually be able to mean it after being together for 16 years is super cool.
Ava: You and your brother boy pablo are both musicians – did you guys grow up in a household with musicians?
Esteban: Yeah, music runs in the family, like all my siblings either play or sing something. My dad plays basically every instrument there is. I’m always surprised with what he can pick up. Like a couple of years ago he picked up an accordion that I had laying around in the studio and just started playing. Like, how do you know that?? He plays everything except drums, he sucks on drums. And then my mom plays the mandolin and sings; she taught me how to play the guitar. They even actually met in choir singing together. So yeah, we definitely got it from them.
Ava: Do you like to sing too? Or is ‘Sunshine’ your first shot at that?
Esteban: I used to do punk stuff, but I don’t think people in general consider that singing. It’s screaming. But I mean, doing backing vocals is one of my favorite things to do in a song. I love that: doing harmonies and filling in the gaps and stuff like that. But being the main singer for me with ‘Sunshine’ was kind of weird. I actually initially thought of Paul Cherry after I wrote that song. I had two songs for him, but since he said yes to the first, I didn’t show him ‘Sunshine’ because I kind of wanted to keep that to myself. Even though it’s a really, like, simple and silly topic to write about, for me, it felt super real.
Ava: I mean, coming from Norway, I’m sure.
Esteban: It rains 250 days in my hometown a year, so we don’t get a lot of sun. I actually wrote it the first time I saw the sun after a couple of months. I was like, holy shit, I missed this.
Ava: So if the title of the album is ‘volume 1,’ I assume there’s a volume 2 on the horizon?
Esteban: Yeah, I’ve already got songs pretty much finished up for that album. I do music Monday to Friday, 10am-5pm, it’s what I do. So volume 2 is already on the way which will feature some really cool artists… that I can’t say right now.
Ava: Any favorite songs on ‘volume 1’?
Esteban: The instrumental one that’s called ‘16.01.24.’
Ava: That’s a date?
Esteban: Yeah, that’s a date, I wrote it that day with a friend of mine. It’s an instrumental and I don’t usually write instrumentals. I find it hard to write a song without a voice, so I thought it’d be a good challenge. I hit up a friend who plays piano and I told him… I have no ideas, so let’s go to the studio and make a song – and let’s finish it up today. And we did that earlier this year.
Ava: That was only like two months ago.
Esteban: Yeah, exactly. I wanted to have one more song.
Ava: That’s awesome – that’s the last one you did?
Esteban: Yeah. So that’s kind of special to me because it’s so fresh. It’s like, okay, we have one day. Make it happen.
Ava: What’s a record or a song that changed your life?
Esteban: Dr. Dre, 2001
Ava: Why?
Esteban: The production is so on point. Nothing in that soundscape is there without an intention to do something for the song. That’s why I love that record. And also N-E-R-D’s album called ‘In search of.’
Ava: And why that one?
Esteban: The songwriting and production. And I mean, it’s also nostalgic for me, of course. But I’m a big Pharrell fan, I love his production and the way he writes and tells a story.
Ava: And has that impacted your style?
Esteban: Definitely, yeah, 100%; I like to think so. I don’t know if people will think that, but in my head, it’s obvious.
Ava: Anything else you want to leave people with?
Esteban: Hm, always be honest to yourself when it comes to creating. Don’t give in to others’ opinions, if you’re not 100% agreeing with it. It’s important to explore, but always be true to yourself when it comes to music and trust your gut. Yeah, that’s probably what I’d say.
