ZBR will be releasing the new CARELESS 12"LP in the summer/fall of 2015. Until then you can stream it on the ZBR and CARELESS bandcamp pages and get to know the band a little better by reading this in-depth interview that I had with band over email correspondence. If you want to read up on all the band's previous material and Dave's thoughts about almost every single song they have recorded, click here. Enjoy!

How was the band conceived?
Gabriel: We started with just me and Tommy and we wrote the s/t ep for fun basically. We just wanted to record something, so we asked Shervin who we knew from earlier projects to do the vocals. We felt like it turned out better than expected so we asked Edvin & Måns to join us to be able to play shows. Shortly after we finished recording our 7", Tommy quit because he had to keep up with school (we had just turned 18 then, haha). So we brought in André and felt completed as a band since everyone was really into it.

What were your primary influences? Did you try to emulate any specific bands?
Måns: All of us have different influences, but i guess we all have been somewhat influenced by the Swedish screamo scene. To me, as the primary songwriter (for this record), I wanted to create something both melodic, chaotic and interesting. I've always been influenced by bands who are not afraid to evolve musically, bands like La Dispute, Circle Takes the Square and the Swedish band Alenah. I woudn't say that we've been trying to emulate a specific sound, but if you listen to our LP I think it's pretty obvious that we've been listen to a lot of melodic, European screamo like Suis La Lune, Via Fondo and Daïtro. The song "Samskeyti" by Sigur Rós has influenced some parts on this LP.

What bands are related to CARELESS through your band members?
Tomorrow, St Peter, Dagdrömmarna and some other projects slowly but surely coming together. Gabriel is also touring a lot with No Omega as their drummer at the moment.

Is there a lyrical them to the new album? What do your lyrics generally deal with?
Shervin: The lyrics on our previous releases has been mainly about personal experiences with love and heartbreaks. Although the main part of "I Wish You Away" is about missing something/someone explained in different scenarios/metaphors. "Jag hatar Magnus Ladulåsgatan" stands out a bit and is about the painful process in understanding and accepting death.

How would you describe your new album?
Edvin: I'd say that this feels like the first "real" Careless record in some ways. Because first of all this is the first release with the current set of members, which we've had for a while now, and secondly, this is a big step towards how we want to sound and end up sounding. This album is what currently represents the band best.
Andre: I feel like the record is a lot more ambitious than all the previous releases. The instruments are really all over the place and Shervin is more dynamic with the vocals. There are also a lot of different ideas combined which I feel make the music more interesting. These new songs are very fun to play live.

Has music ever failed you?
André: Music has never failed me in general but it is always disappointing when musicians you look up to release music that feels forced. In The Unlikely Event comes to mind.

What is the best musical experience you can recall?
André: I really enjoy live music. The two shows that have really wowed me the most is The Appleseed Cast in Gothenburg and Joan of Arc in Stockholm. Both shows were mind blowing in their own special way and will probably be with me for a very long time.
Gabriel: My best musical experience is probably going on tours, meet people and spread our music. That or visiting Fluff Fest, the best place on earth. When it comes to exceptional live acts, Via Fondo is always a favourite.
Måns: Seeing Circle Takes The Square live in Copenhagen 2012 was pretty amazing.

What has been your biggest struggle as a band and as a musician?
André: It was quite a challenge for me, as the newest member, to join a band I first and foremost was a fan of before I joined. I had never played screamo with other people before and I had to learn new, unreleased songs and play with people who at first were complete strangers. It was, and is still a lot of fun to play in Careless. Right now, as a band, I don't feel at all like we struggle with anything in particular. We get along really well and everyone is satisfied with the musical direction.
Måns: I think it's hard to write cohesive music that is interesting. I really like trying new things when I write but often I think its hard to make bold arrangements without it sounding too disorganized.
Gabriel: I'd definitely say recording and getting the songs together for this record. A really long and struggly process with lots of twists and turns. I am very thankful for some of our friends for helping us out with a lot of recording/gear-stuff. As for myself, I'd say my biggest struggle is my mood. I have to be really into whatever is about to happen to wanna go through with it, but more often than not - I am.
Edvin: For me personally, maybe performance anxiety. The fact that you are your own worst critic is something I try to keep in mind, but I still don't like messing up when you have a lot of eyes on you.
Shervin: I can get a mixture of stage fright and embarrassment when performing. I try to avoid eye contact with the audience and speeches between the songs since I am terrible at giving speeches.

Have any record labels influenced you?
André: Mostly emo and math rock labels. I love Big Scary Monsters, Polyvinyl, Sargent House, Topshelf Records, Jade Tree and many more.
Gabriel: Hmm, I'm really into the catalogs of Ape Must Not Kill Ape, React With Protest, Moment Of Collapse, Release The Bats, Denovali etc., etc. I think Time As a Color is a really cool label as well. I also really want to mention Through Love Records, Zegema Beach Records and Dog Knights Productions for taking a notably big interest in the (imo well-deserved) Swedish scene "lately".

What is "screamo" to you?
André: To me, it is chaotic, melodic, melancholic and cathartic music.

If you could tour with any band, past or present, who would you choose?
André:  Maybe Age Sixteen, The Exploration or City of Caterpillar. I love those bands and I think our bands would complement each others music well.
Gabriel: Maybe Shirokuma again because I feel we really click both as people and musically. And we only did a pretty small tour just in Sweden. Now that André mentioned Age Sixteen I'd say them aswell... just to do an impossible pick.
Edvin: Within this style of music, the first band that came to mind was Envy, because it's one of my favorite bands in the genre, but when I think about it the language barrier would maybe make it difficult to communicate well on a tour... When it comes to bands that have split up, I think playing with Jeromes Dream when they were active would have been an experience.
Shervin: I haven't given it much of a thought but I would really like to tour with Loma Prieta and dream of touring with Orchid.

What are your future plans for yourself and for Careless?
André: Write more, release more, tour more.
Gabriel: And I guess we all can agree on that.

What are your top 10 records of all time?
Från Måns:
1. Sigur Rós - ()
2. Circle Takes The Square - as the roots undo
3. Mineral - power of failing
4. Mew - and the glass handed kites
5. Counting Crows - august and everything after
6. The Mars Volta - amputechture
7. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - worse than alone
8. Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) - what it takes to move forward
9. Suis La Lune - riala
10. At The Drive-In - relationship of command

Gabriel Bhatia:
in no particular order...
Mew - frengers
Three Shades Of Dirty - paper roses
Suis La Lune - riala
Via Fondo - tar & s/t
Silver Mt Zion - born into trouble as the sparks fly upwards
The Pine - s/t
Locktender - kafka
Mount Eerie/julie doiron/fred squire - lost wisdom
Sugartown Cabaret - the first time i lost the road map
Don Martin Three - s/t

Edvin (bass):
Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue
Can - Tago Mago
Weakling - Dead As Dreams
Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood
Swans - The Seer
The Microphones - Mount Eerie
Gorguts - Obscura
Coil - The Ape of Naples
Envy - A Dead Sinking Story
Slint - Spiderland