The Viennese band’s songwriter Tobias Hammermüller tells us about their new album and the Vienna scene.

Vienna band Laundromat Chicks are set to release their third album ‘Sometimes Posessed’ this Friday. Showing their knack for producing moments of jangle magic, the album assumes a sparkling ghostly quality with its DIY recording style, reflective of the personal charm of the songwriting but also the magical elements that work their way into the lyrics. Ahead of the album release and on the eve of the band’s debut visit to the UK for The Great Escape in May, we wanted to find out more about the band and the Vienna scene from whence they came. We spoke to founder and chief songwriter Tobias Hammermüller about inspirations like The Go-Betweens and Silver Jews, fantastical songwriting, and returning to the UK for the first time since he was a Boy Scout.

Tell us about the Vienna scene! How did you start out, who are your favourite fellow bands, and what are your favourite venues?

Felix (drums) and I actually started out in St. Pölten, a small (for Austria big) town about an half an hour away from Vienna. But in our late teens we started going to Vienna to see bands like our beloved power-pop idols Bad Weed and started connecting with that scene. In general, I love when different subcultures cross their paths and the venue Venster99 is the best place for that.

It feels weird to list my favourite Viennese bands because most of them include other members of Laundromat Chicks. Lena (bass) and Resi (guitar) have a great garage-pop band called Topsy Turvy and Felix plays in multiple rock’n’roll bands, including the amazing Telebrains. There are also bands that effortlessly pick up on that new wave of American shoegaze, like Swelle and Trauma Glow.
 
What inspired the album title ‘Sometimes Posessed’?

There’s two songs I really love, ‘Whatever Possessed You’ by Care and ‘Whatever Possessed Me’ by Chet Baker, that describe certain relationships to other people as possessed. To me that seemed like a great jumping off point to get more fantastical and playful with my songwriting, and also to gain some distance to the things I describe in the songs.
 
What artist would you say had the biggest influence on this record?



Musically I have to say my influences haven’t changed that much. I tried to elaborate on the sound of the last record, which was an attempt to mix glossy jangle pop with clear cut singer-songwriter music. But lyrically I tried to challenge myself this time, and to have some sort of emotional ark in the songs. The Go-Betweens and early Silver Jews inspired me the most to go in that direction.
 

Opening an album with a cover is a pretty bold move! Where did you first come across Ray Davies’ ‘Strange Effect’, and what makes it a worthy opener to this album?  



Two years ago I worked as a boom operator on a short film. The costume designer of that short put me onto a lot of great stuff like Arthur Russell. She also showed me ‘This Strange Effect’ and I thought it fit the theme of the album really well. To me the song sounds like a spell being cast for the first time, so it seemed like the perfect opener.
 
You cite the influence of Wim Wenders on some of your work. How has his work and film in general inspired your music?

Films just put me in a headspace where I can clearly see what’s important to me. Writing a song inspired by a movies also helps me to distance myself from the songs I write, which is important to me.


You are playing your first UK shows this May, but have any of your been to the UK before? And do you have any favourite British bands at the moment?

Resi loves the UK has visited a few times! Brighton, Edinburgh and London, as far as I know. I have only passed through, as a 10-year-old Boy Scout on my way to a summer camp in Ireland.

We all loved seeing the UK band Island of Love when they played live in Vienna, but sadly they have recently broken up. My current favourites are probably bar italia.
 
What can we expect from you at The Great Escape this year?

Hits hits hits!
 
What is the weirdest thing anyone has said about your music?



After a show some someone came up to me and said it sounded like Depeche Mode. At that time I was still singing in a very low register, I’m guessing that’s where that came from.