We caught up with Lucas Nord of dance music trio Moodshift who tells us more about their debut single ‘Chemistry’ and how their combined artistry and musical talents help achieve their sound.
Last month, DJ/producer trio Moodshift made their debut with the release of their first single ‘Chemistry’, an energetic dance-pop track which as of now has gained over 600,000 streams in the three weeks that followed.
The feel-good pop song, with its catchy lyrics and vocals, features a fun dance choreography (as well as smiley and frowny faces) for its music video which fans will surely dance along to. If you’re feeling the blues working from home, then maybe this song is just what the doctor ordered!
Moodshift consist of three members who are no stranger to the music industry. The group is made up of Grammy-winning Norwegian producer Lucas Nord, Rasmus Flyckt of the Swedish indie pop band Urban Cone, and remix mastermind Oliver Nelson who previously collaborated with Norwegian tropical house producer Kygo.
Their music selection and production styles are heavily inspired from dance music titans such as Camelphat, Duke Dumont, and RÜFÜS DU SOL
With the combined signature styles of the three members, Moodshift aim to produce dancey pop-infused electronic tunes for listeners to groove to. Prior to the release of their debut single, they’ve been producing Moodshift Monday Mixes on their Soundcloud since May which help brighten up and “shift” listeners’ moods as they get through the week.
We managed to ask a few questions about the group with member Lucas Nord who talked about their smashing debut single, the idea behind the trio, and what they hope to achieve with the Moodshift sound.
AL365: Hi Moodshift, where and how are you guys holding up during quarantine?
Lucas Nord: Hey! We’re all in Stockholm and are holding up pretty good considering we haven’t had any proper lockdown, so life has been fairly normal and we’ve been able to go to the studio and continue working which we think has been the thing keeping us sane.
AL365: First things first, congrats on the release of debut single ‘Chemistry’. The song definitely lives up to your group name as it shifts my mood to pure joy and gets me moving in my room. As your debut single, what are you hoping listeners will take away from this song?
Lucas: Thank you! Haha that’s great to hear! Your reaction is pretty much what we’re hoping for. First of all, I think it’s a good introduction to Moodshift and to our sound. It’s moody, a bit hopeful, big yet minimalistic. I think it’s got both the happy and the sad which is something we want to express with this project, hence the name.
AL365: Let’s talk about the music video. There’s a lot of dancing, smiley and frowny faces, not to mention that ending! What’s the story behind that?
Lucas: We had to have dancing in the video. That was the first thing we discussed since it’s really what the song is meant for. And then we had this initial idea of a “happy” and a “sad” character meeting and fusing into one forming the Moodshift character. Basically how two becomes one and finding that “Chemistry”.
AL365: Your Monday Mixes are just what we all needed to get through another grueling week. How do you choose which tracks to play?
Lucas: Agreed! You gotta do what you gotta do to make Mondays as fun as possible. We currently just have a shared playlist we all add songs to. Whether they’re old or new we just throw them in there and then we see what fits for that weeks mix!
AL365: Individually, you’re all experienced within the music industry. Could you tell us more about how you guys decided to form as a group?
Lucas: It wasn’t something we planned at all. We met in high school and knew each other and had mutual friends but we never really worked together apart from some remixes here and there. But we were always fans of each other’s work. In December of 2019 I think it was the first time we booked a session for the three of us and we just instantly clicked on every level musically (and personally of course haha) and quickly decided to keep working together. We wrote “Chemistry” in the second session we ever had and we still haven’t had a single bad day in the studio together.
AL365: What distinguishes Moodshift from all of your previous solo efforts?
Lucas: I think this is like a perfect blend of all of our different styles. Oliver has made a lot dance music in more of the Nu-Disco vibe, Rasmus has a bit more of a indie/pop background, and for me I’ve made house music and a lot of R&B. I think all of those styles come forward in our music one way or another.
AL365: With Moodshift, what can we expect with your combined talents?
Lucas: We are just in the studio day in and day out writing and producing new stuff right now. We definitely complement each other in a crazy good way so we can’t wait for more stuff to come out so we can show the full spectrum of what this project is.
Photo by: Marcus Rönne
AL365: Could you each describe your approach to being an artist?
I think we all have a different approach to this project than what we’ve had with our solo careers. When doing your solo stuff you do it more yourself, you now what you what for yourself etc. It’s different when you’re in a group and three people have to agree on something. Since we’ve all been in this industry now for 10+ years, we have been very focused on getting everything in place before we release anything. With that being said, the sound we’re going for, the mood we’re trying to set, visuals, the logo, the videos and all the branding behind it… we focus on sorting first so everything is cohesive and ready to go. We strongly feel we have to have a clear idea of what that’s supposed to be and what the project is – thats very important to us. We wanna present everything in the best possible way, you know?
AL365: What else is in store for the group later this year?
Lucas: As I said we’re keeping busy just writing and producing new songs constantly and we’re definitely gonna have some more stuff coming this fall.
AL365: Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?
Lucas: That’s a tough one! We’ve said we’d love to do a song with James Blake in the past so i’d have to say him again!
AL365: Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. Good luck on your new project!
Lucas: Thank you so much.
Lucas Nord is currently working on his upcoming solo EP, Boy Restless, which is slated for release later this year. The end of August also sees member Rasmus Flyckt releasing his debut EP Instant Gratification pt. 1 as well as a new remix from member Oliver Nelson on Niall Horan’s track ‘Black and White’.
Cover photo by: Marcus Rönne
