A couple of years ago when we were about to have our first show we needed a name and as all bands know, deciding a name isn't the easiest thing. Luckily one of us found a plastic bag that same day with the cartoon The Perishers printed on it. We thought that was good enough for a name so we just stole it.

JXM: Exposure on American television such as The O.C. and One Tree Hill has without doubt reached an enormous audience, but do you prefer a small devoted fanbase, over a legion of screaming fans?

Martin: Well, I believe that a legion of screaming fans can be just as devoted as a smaller fanbase. The more the merrier I say. But seriously, when you're playing live it's easier to connect with a small audience than with a large one.

JXM: A few critics have compared you to Coldplay. How do you feel about the comparisons?

Martin: I think all of us in the band like Coldplay and it's flattering that some people compare us to them but I can't say that I agree with those who do. Our music is more minimalistic then theirs.

JXM: Many critics have described your work as being "depressing" and "moody," yet simultaneously hopeful, was it your intention to write music that was bittersweet and in a sense, very real versus the popular music of today?

Ola: We honestly don't think much about why we sound the way we do. It's not something we ever talk about. But yes, I guess you could say our songs are bittersweet. When it comes to the lyrics we always seem to leave a glimmer of hope in there somewhere among all the "moodiness". I guess I'm just trying to encourage the ones listening to our music to always keep their hopes up while they walk through life, though it's not always easy to do.

JXM: Ola, you've mentioned that you write the most during Sweden's cold, dark and long winters and not so much during the summer season. As you tour more frequently, jumping from country to country experiencing varying seasonal patterns, do you think this will effect your writing just the same as Sweden's winters, or will it interrupt your process?

Ola: Hmm... I don't know yet. I guess we'll have to wait and see. I don't think that the changing seasons will effect my writing nearly as much as touring in itself will. It's SO hard to find time and/or a silent room to write in. I'm pretty sure I'll have to do most of my writing on days off or the weeks I get to spend at home...

JXM: I found it interesting that you said "when you're happy, you don't have time to write music because you're doing something else." Is writing a more cathartic experience for you, or is it more of a process of creating something artistic?

Ola: I've written songs since I was 12 or 13 years old. I don't give much thought anymore to why I do it. It's just something I enjoy doing. It's almost as natural and important to me as breathing. The songwriting process is always going on inside my head no matter what I do. The only difference from when I was 12 is that writing is now a part of my job. I basically write about things that are important to me in my life. Friends, family and so on. I leave the politics to people who are smarter than me.

JXM: The pace of your music is exactly as you have termed it Ola, it creeps into you. All the songs seem to have a rather nostalgic and bittersweet tone, touring in both the West and the East, how much of the differences in culture do you see in the music being produced by both sides of the world? Where do you see The Perishers fitting in the musical trends globally?

Ola: Oh, this was a hard one... I don't really have a good answer. All I can say is that we as a band don't focus on where and how our music will fit in. As I said before, we don't even think about why we sound the way we do.

I guess we don't think it's important to put word on what we do. We let journalists and critics do that for us. We focus on making music that we like and by doing that we hope that people no matter where they live, how old they are, and so on, can like it too.

JXM: Ola, you said that you have the ability to hide behind English words as opposed to Swedish, can you explain what you mean by this? Is it because the English language is so widespread that certain assumed connotations are immediately placed upon phrases (such as your example of "I love you") and not with Swedish?

Ola: Swedish is the language I think and dream in, and I speak it every day. The fact that I don't know English nearly as well gives me a feeling that I can hide behind the words. It's like the words don't mean as much to me in English as they do in Swedish. I know that makes no sense, but I can't explain it any better than that.

The only reason why I've always written in English is cause almost all the bands and artists I like sing in English. Because of that writing in English made more sense to me than writing in Swedish. Once I grew older I came to understand that writing in English is good because so many speak it, but it was not something I though about back then.

JXM: Martin, on the member's bio page you have been noted to be working as a janitor. Have you quit yet?

Martin: Eh... well, no. I'm still working there but I'll probably quit this fall. I have the feeling that my boss isn't so happy with me asking for time off all the time.

JXM: Right now you're on a short hiatus before beginning work on the next album. Do you have any idea what direction that album will be heading in?

Martin: We're definitely going to push ourselves hard to make a better album than the last one. We will try to vary the songs more this time but people that have heard our last two albums will probably still recognize us.

The Perishers can be reached at mailtheperishers (at) gmail (dot) com. JXM would like to give a huge thanks to the boys and a special thanks to Penny from Nettwerk for making it all happen.