The enchanting jangle pop from the German band The Radio Field is a harmonious blend of bittersweet melodies with a subtle, at times, twangy undertone.

Sweet Sweet Music blog recently interviewed Lars Schmidt, delving into his journey of crafting new songs solo, occasionally with his eleven-year-old drumming son’s assistance, and the evolution of The Radio Field from a solo project to a full-fledged band.

Could you share the journey of bringing this record to life? How did all the pieces come together to create the final product?

The Radio Field started as my home recording project during the pandemic. When the first EP came out last year, reactions were amazing, and among other great things that happened, my old friends, Mark and Christoph came up with the idea to form a real band. I had some of the songs for the album already written at the time; the rest was completed in a few days, using ideas I had collected when jamming at home with my youngest son (age 11) on drums. The overall approach to our music is to keep things simple and capture these first, unbiased ideas that jump at us when a song is new. So we started recording Mark’s drums during our second practice; other instruments and vocals were recorded individually in our home studios as we live in different places (Cologne, Berlin, and Düsseldorf), and so were the many guest musicians. Christoph did the mixing in his studio, and my bandmate Kai from Subterfuge did the mastering. I never completed an album faster or simpler. 

If tasked with introducing your music through three songs, which ones would you choose and what story do they collectively convey to new listeners?

Clover, our album opener, is what came out of my attempt to write a bittersweet blueprint jangle pop love song to a girl. 
The Version is storytelling indie pop with a verve to have some fun in between all the melancholia. 
Love is the grant opulent final of the record, a homage to love in all its shapes and sizes. 

Where do you see yourself situated within the broader landscape of the music industry? How do you perceive your unique role and contribution?

Frankly, we do not see ourselves as part of any industry. We do whatever we can ourselves (recording, label, video production, artwork), and almost everyone we collaborate with are DIY people. There are no profits involved for anyone; it’s all for the love of this kind of music and to have some fun in our spare time. The best part is that there is an International alliance of like-minded folks in bands, blogs, venues, and radio stations that keep the ball rolling despite what the zeitgeist may be at any given time. 

As an artist, the act of baring your emotions to the world is profound. Does this vulnerability come naturally to you, or is it a constant journey of finding comfort?

Writing music is a great outlet for me; it truly helps to deal with things more easily, write them into a song, and close the chapter. While the music, of course, is passing on a certain mood to the listener, I think it usually does not go much deeper. It’s my impression that hardly anyone gets into the lyrics, which helps to not feel very vulnerable in the end. 

Among the compliments you’ve received, is there one that remains etched in your memory? If so, what made it particularly unforgettable? 

There was good press for the album, and lots of nice quotes that really meant a lot to us. My favorite ones would be from Visions (one of the largest print magazines for alternative music over here: “Music by The Radio Field is bigger than the sum of its parts”), Rheinische Post (our local daily paper: “Sounds wonderful, just like Teenage Fanclub with members of Slowdive and The Pastels recording for a resurrected Sarah Record”) and Daggerzine Blog (“makes you go to the top of a mountain and scream for joy. It’s that good”). 

Envision recruiting three singers to provide harmony vocals on your next record. Who would you invite, and what qualities do they possess that resonate with you?

Recruiting completed. We have quite a few guest vocalists on our album, which was a wonderful experience; we will surely continue with future recordings. It’s always a bit of a gamble when you send away a song for another creative person to sing on it. In our case, it perfectly worked out, and each time the recording came back, it felt like Christmas Eve. Federica of the Phantom Handshakes elevated our song “Other One” with her heavenly, fragile voice; Robert Stadlober (a known German actor and old friend with his band Gary) sang 5 different, spontaneous, very anarchistic backing tracks to choose from for “The Version” and Stephanie Schrank invented a perfect new harmony line for the chorus of “Clover”.

Looking ahead to the next couple of months, what exciting plans or projects are on the horizon for you?

Excitingly, we will be playing in Bologna, Italy still this year. This is our first international gig and actually a premier for me in any of my bands to play in a non-German-speaking country. In January, we will start working on new songs for the next album.