We interviewed Tantrum To Blind before they headed to the UK for the first time to support Yashin.

Can you give us a brief history of how the band came together and came up with the name Tantrum To Blind?
The four of us started the same music high school in Stockholm in 2006 and realized quite fast that we were about the only people there liking pop/punk music, so we started playing in 2008 and quickly grew really tight friends and excited with the music we were creating. Melanie came up with the name Tantrum To Blind, which is actually a wakeboarding-trick. We felt the word Tantrum fitting our music quite well, as well as the board sport connection.

Who would you say your main musical influences are?
Sum 41, Yellowcard & Saosin

You are heading over to the UK in March to support Yashin how did this tour come about?
We've known Yashin for some time now and they've been wanting to take us out. The UK crowd seems to be the perfect fit for us and we've been working hard to make it happen. Suddenly the pieces fell together, Yashin got the chance to take us on for this tour and we were ready for it!

I understand this will be your first visit to the UK as a band what are you looking forward to most about it?
We're psyched to play every night in front of a crowd that's truly passionate about this style of music. What we've seen before when we've been over to the UK to watch shows the crowd has always been mind blowing where ever we've been. The scene is much bigger in the UK than in Sweden and to get this opportunity is amazing.

What can we expect from your live shows throughout the tour?
You can expect a show that's probably more energetic than what you're used to seeing. We always give a 100% no matter what and it's also very important for us that the crowd is involved in the show and that they're having a great time. To us it's all about getting your emotions out and having fun and that's what we're trying to share with the audience!

From watching the videos on your website people can tell that you are a fun energetic band on and off the stage, and you also have a lot of time for your fans, how much are you looking forward to playing to new crowds in new countries and interacting with possible new fans?
We always have a good time when we're out playing and like we said, we're really looking forward to meeting the UK crowd. One of the things we enjoy most about touring and playing shows is meeting new fans and getting the chance to get to know them. Especially if they're fun and passionate about music so that's what we're hoping for!

From watching your video ‘Big City Silence’ you have played some massive shows including some festivals, can we expect to see you back in the UK this summer to play any festivals?
Yeah we had the opportunity to do a couple of big shows in Sweden last summer, which was really cool! The plan would definitely be to get some festival dates in the UK but nothing's definite yet so we'll have to get back about that one!

You released your debut album ‘Walk Out’ back in May in Sweden are you happy with how the album has gone down with your fans and the press?
'Walk Out' was our first official release and we couldn't be happier with how it's gone down with the fans. We have a bunch of great fans in Sweden that are really dedicated and loving the record and the stuff we do, but we're also fully aware that Scandinavia isn't the best place for us to tour and sell albums since there's a lot of club music and indie stuff being popular and not much alternative rock at all. So to be honest press and timing could have been better for the Scandinavian market.

How did you find the whole writing and recording process for the album?
Since this was our debut album, you could consider it a collection of the best stuff we'd written from the start of the band up until the release of the album. A couple of the songs have been along for quite a while and we've learned our way of writing over time. Simon (guitar) and Melanie (vocals) are the ones writing the main part of every song, including melody, lyrics and basic rythm before the song is brought to the rehearsal room to be polished up by everyone together.

The recording process is pretty interesting because it was actually intended to be only pre-productions when we started. Everything on the record, except for drums, was recorded in our bedrooms/home studios and produced and mixed by our guitarist Simon. By the time it was presented to the management we had at the time, everyone including ourselves were so happy with it that we decided to have it mastered and released as the final album!

What themes and stories do you cover within the tracks on ‘Walk Out’?
Our lyrics can cover basically anything that makes us feel something. Mainly it's about personal relationships but also stuff around us and things we see other people go through and that affects us. We try to write about personal things in a way so that other people can recognize the feelings and relate to it.

What would you say your favourite tracks from the album are and why?
The song we're the most happy with must be 'Get Get Get', because it feels pretty original and catches your attention. Other favorites are 'Tell Me Once', 'Liar Lines' and 'Why Pretend' because they're powerful songs with subjects that are personal for us and possible to relate to for fans. Each person in the band has different songs they prefer but overall we feel the album is pretty even with strong songs right through.

‘Walk Out’ is yet to be released in the UK, are you planning to release it soon and will fans be able to purchase the album at your forthcoming live shows?
There is definitely gonna be a release in the UK in a near future, we're done writing our upcoming EP and the recording of it is being planned at this instant. We will release 'Walk Out' as well but for those who'd like to get their hands on a copy as soon as possible the easiest way is to order it from our webstore: http://www.drella.com/en/art/tantrum-to-blind-walk-out-cd-1.php
Or you can just buy it at the merch stand at one of our shows in March!

What do you have planned once your forthcoming UK tour comes to an end?
When we get home from the UK the main focus is to get the new EP done and then of course we're hoping there will be a busy summer with a lot of festivals and we can assure you that we will be back in the UK!

What’s your opinion on the whole anti piracy laws going on at the moment and how it will affect the music industry?
For us personally, we obviously want to sell albums but really it's most important that our music is out there for people to hear and share with each other. We don't think it's possible to stop the natural technological evolution that downloading is a part of, so hopefully nothing will happen. It would sure be a good thing if people took responsibility and payed for entertainment like music. What might happen else wise is that ticket prices for live shows will go up even more and that would be a bad thing for the entire music scene.

Where do you hope to see Tantrum To Blind in a year’s time?
Everywhere :)

One last random question that we ask every band, if you could be an animal out of a zebra or Giraffe which one would you be and why?
A giraffe obviously, they're awesome and tall and stand up while they sleep. They fight with their heads and also they have long blue tongues! A zebra is just a misplaced horse who thinks too much of himself!

Thanks for your time is there a message for your fans reading this?
Thanks for checking us out and make sure to come down to a show in March, we're looking forward to meeting you all! Cheers!

Interview by Trigger