Swedish House Mafia on what to expect from new album 'Paradise Again'

Swedish House Mafia have spoken about what to expect from their first proper album ‘Paradise Again’, teasing that the project is “just the beginning”.

Having recently shared ‘Moth To A Flame’ featuring The Weeknd, the EDM trio are primed to release the full-length record – the first of their career – at some point next year. They’re also set to headline Coachella 2022 alongside Rage Against The Machine and Travis Scott.

Speaking to NME for last week’s week’s Big Read cover interview, the group discussed the “Scandinavian melodies, dark production and hard sounds” that feature on the forthcoming ‘Paradise Again’.

Sebastian Ingrosso explained that Swedish House Mafia wrote 45 songs for the project, which were eventually whittled down. “They might become something else someday,” he told NME.

“In the past we put out single after single, and it was almost like we were chasing something.

“When Steve [Angello] first said, ‘We need to make an album’, I wanted to jump out the window. Swedish House Mafia have never made an album before, and historically it takes us a long time to even make a song. We’re really happy with what it’s become, though – we can’t wait to give it to the world.”

He continued: “We’re always searching for that little bass note that makes your knees go weak. In the studio, some songs made us want to cry, dance and hug, because it felt like the best four minutes of the whole year, while others, as Steve says, make you want to drive your car straight into a wall.“

Elsewhere, Angello described the album – named after the feeling of being on stage together again – as “a love story between us” and “an invitation into our world”. Swedish House Mafia also teased guest spots from acts “that maybe you wouldn’t think we’d have worked with”.

As for collaborating with The Weeknd, the trio said the team-up was one of their “proudest moments”. “His voice and his way of writing music is incredible,” explained Ingrosso, “and sonically we knew when our dark, melodic side met his, something interesting would happen.”

Angello told NME that we could see the group “gravitate towards something” after ‘Paradise Again’, adding: “This is just the beginning.”

Head here to read more of our Big Read cover story with Swedish House Mafia, where they also discuss brotherhood, their hiatus, snobby criticism from rock bands, and the “dangerous” mental pressures of the EDM world.