Swedish House Mafia open up about their long-awaited return with Apple Music's Zane Lowe

The 15th of July 2021 will always be marked as a turning point in the industry. After a long hiatus, 9 years to be precise, the iconic trio Swedish House Mafia return, in great style of course. Today, for the plethora of fans and everyone who is part of this fantastic world of music, the day was spent in front of the screen, waiting for what is the single of SHM’s rebirth. ‘It Gets Better’ is just one of the IDs everyone was waiting to see released and it comes in handy just right after about 18 months of the pandemic. Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello, the three pieces that comprise Swedish House Mafia caught up with Zane Lowe during The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music to talk about their return, the release of ‘It Gets Better’ and more, in an interview that we’ve now summarised for you.

A comeback can be made of new things or picking things up exactly where you left them. In the interview, Steve Angello mentioned that the months they spent together in the studio before this release were special, especially as the magic of the three seemed intact as if they had last performed together last week. However, the word ‘new’ was used multiple times, letting predict a rebirth of their musicality. On the trio’s return to the spotlights, Steve Angello told Zane Lowe:

‘So just went in there and just dove and discovered and tweaked the synths. And we have something that we love and we feel is super unique and especially unique to us and something that we stand for. All this new music is amazing.’

The pandemic allowed artists to spend more time in the studio, which for Swedish House Mafia may have been truly life-changing and cathartic. In stark contrast to the hectic touring schedule the boys had on a daily basis, the isolation allowed them more time for each other and their music. Axwell explored the theme in the interview saying:

‘COVID actually helped us in this process as weird as it might sound because otherwise, we might not have gotten where we are today. Because we had the time to have sights. We had the time to quit. We had the time to pick up and start again. And we make and remake and retry and regroup and have hope and then quit again. And then grab that little hope that we had, bring it back, and start over and then finding something. So this whole time, the time has really helped us to have gotten where we are with the sounds and with the songs and to a place where we feel proud. We love what we have done.’

Fans missed SHM terribly and were really looking forward to this comeback. But so did they. Their longing for each other was very clear in this conversation with Apple Music 1. That feeling has brought them together over the last two years in an intense way, maybe more intense than ever, opening up the creativity for the three of them to create something great. They are now ready to return and we’re sure you are too. Now that the doors have opened, things can only get better.

‘It Gets Better’ is SHM’s Phoenix and Lowe wanted to know more about the creation process of this beautiful single. Axwell explained that creating SHM tracks is not a quick process, but rather a long one where the three of them actively intervene, adding layer upon layer, until the diamond is polished. He further adds that:

‘We throw everything onto the table and we’re just like, how does this work with this? And then, oh, what about this with that? And then we’re like, oh shit. That’s the magic sauce. Those two together. That’s what happens there.’

Complex yet cohesive, the track has something that ties everything together perfectly. Sebastian Ingrosso says that the key element is the drums but Axwell says it’s the lyrics. You can’t help but agree, because after these tough times we’ve all been going through, the ‘It Gets Better’ chant touches everyone deeply in the heart.

If you haven’t heard Swedish House Mafia’s re-entry single yet, do so now. Enjoy and watch the amazing video too, together they offer a modern and exquisite audiovisual experience, with the SHM seal of quality. Watch or re-watch the interview with Zane Lowe below:

Image credit: Therese Öhrvall via Billboard