Their name might be Mundane, but the band itself is anything but. The Gothenburg, Sweden, natives are the embodiment of DIY, not only writing and recording their own music, but also running a venue that has given life to countless others like them. Together, they have actively cultivated a community of likeminded artists, many of whom owe their very existence to Mundane and their performance space.

On Nov. 7, the band released “Quick Cures,” their first single since last year’s debut album, “ULTRA SOUND.” This interview with founding member Hannes Wijk has been in the works for quite some time, but it’s aged like fine wine.

YY: As a part of the DIY scene in Gothenburg, what can you say about its sense of community, and how does Mundane fit within it?

HW: Ever since we were kids, there's been a pretty active music scene in this city. I've lived here all my life, so I can't say I have much to compare it to, but there's always been shows to go to, whether it's a whiny indie-pop gig at some semi-hip bar or a metal show at a not-so-hip one, there's always been something happening.

As for the “real” DIY stuff, it's mostly been the punk and hardcore scene doing house shows or more off-the-grid kinds of things, which is also where Mundane originally came from. We organized shows in our rehearsal space and built a community there.

At first, it was mostly hardcore, punk, and screamo, but since most people in the city played indie or pop music, we started booking those kinds of shows as well. After booking shows for many years, we kind of felt like playing in a band ourselves, and now, here we are.

You mentioned something about many of your local venues shutting down. Do you think this was a COVID byproduct, merely a result of an ever-changing musical landscape, or something else entirely? How has Mundane still managed to thrive despite these unfavorable changes?

We had a few DIY spaces that had to shut down, mostly due to the gentrification of the city areas where these venues were located. Places we’d been going to since we were teenagers were raided by police and shut down to make way for new office buildings or housing developments.

As for our own venue, it's taken a lot of hard work, but also a fair amount of luck. The block we're located in just hasn’t been affected yet. Sadly, it’s probably only a matter of time.

I did some research on Sekten – is it just a venue, or is it more than that? What more can you share about it?

Apart from what I mentioned above, Sekten became a place where people didn’t just come to see a show by some small band no one had ever heard of. We also managed to build a pretty cool community, with regulars coming to almost every show we put on. It was really great to see people come to our venue and make new friends. Just like we started Mundane at Sekten, I’m sure there are many other bands with members who met for the first time at our place

Last year, you released your debut album, “ULTRA SOUND,” which was a real labor of love. How did it feel to come out with it after four years of work, and how did you evolve as a band during the process of making it?

It felt great releasing the album. It was long overdue. I can’t believe it took that long to get it done. However, I must admit, we didn’t work very hard for most of those four years. Most of the work was done in the start and the end of that period. Not sure what we did in between!

That said, we did evolve a lot as a band, both in terms of sound and songwriting. The songs we wrote earlier were more the “trying to sound like another band” kind of songs. We didn’t really know how to sound like the bands we were trying to emulate, so with “ULTRA SOUND” we finally started writing songs the way we knew how to play them.

I know that might sound silly, but it's true. We started making simpler songs by heart, instead of forcing something that didn’t come naturally to us.

Your new music will be the first you’ve recorded with the help of a producer – Alexander Bergil. Producers can make or break a band’s sound, so what has your experience been working with him vice on your own? What are some changes you’ve experienced in your overall process as a result?

This was the first time we worked with someone who really listened to our songs and came up with proper ideas or changes. It was a real eye-opener. We played the songs in the rehearsal space with Alex present just a day or two before heading into the studio. We just wanted to show him the songs before we pressed record, but we ended up changing a lot of things at the last minute.

Most of the changes were small, like a chord here or there, a pause, or adding a guitar part, but they had a big impact. I’d recommend any band that hasn’t worked with a producer yet to give it a shot. I’m sure you’re right about the “make or break” thing, though. It’s all about finding the right person.

At the time of this interview, Mundane was getting ready to head out on a quick European tour in June, which included a stop at Fair-Weather-Fest in Bremen. You’ve also noted the band’s popularity in Germany – where do you think this acclaim comes from, and what stood out to you about the festival and the tour?

We played a few shows in Germany last year, including the Nürnberg Popfestival and the first-ever Fair Weather Fest. Big shoutout to Laurin, Yannic and everyone involved in that, by the way. It was great in every way possible.

Not sure why German people seem to like our music more than other Europeans. For one, it’s the biggest country, so there are a lot of Germans out there! We did get some reviews from German newspapers and some radio rotation on a few German stations, so that probably helped a lot. We also worked a bit with Pop Up Records, who did some PR for us in Central Europe. I’m sure that had an impact as well.

You’ve just come out with a new single, and you have more new music on the way – what should people know going into your future releases?

Our new single is probably the most well-written (thanks, Alex) but also the nastiest-sounding one so far, and I mean that in a good way. If you don’t like siren-screaming guitar melodies and megaphone-sounding vocals dipped in a big bucket of distortion, then this one’s not for you.

Not all the new songs are as loud as the first one, though. I’m sure there will be something for everyone (almost).