17/05/2026
'CLICK INTERVIEW’ WITH HOY
Does the name Carl Sjöström ring a bell? If not, the group SCAPA FLOW will undoubtedly sound familiar to quite a few 'older' Electro fans. Carl was one of the founders of the Swedish band SCAPA FLOW, which quickly made a name for itself in the broader EBM scene. In the late '80s and early '90s, SCAPA FLOW was a band you simply couldn't ignore—until they suddenly disappeared, never to return. More than 30 years later, Carl Sjöström resurfaces with a new project he had been secretly working on for quite some time. This year, the album “Getting Closer” was released on I/O Music.
HOY is the 'natural' continuation of SCAPA FLOW. The band's name is taken from a wild Scottish island that forms part of the Orkney Islands, and then, of course, there is the music itself. I don't really recognize the sound of SCAPA FLOW in it; instead, HOY delivers an Electro style that cannot easily be compared to any other group—slightly idiosyncratic, blending overlapping Electro-Pop and EBM elements. As far as I'm concerned, it is a highly successful opus that combines efficiency with originality. I spoke with Carl Sjöström about it.
‘SCAPA FLOW NEVER TRIED TO FIT INTO A MODEL OR GENRE, AND I WANT THAT TO BE TRUE FOR HOY AS WELL’
Q: After your involvement with SCAPA FLOW, it seems as if you disappeared from the musical radar for years. Did music completely disappear from your life during that period, or what were you busy with? And how do you look back on those successful years with SCAPA FLOW? What has stayed with you the most from that time?
Carl: We put SCAPA FLOW to rest as we were busy with studies, and then with work and families. We never got the energy to get back on track really. But I have been writing songs also during the years of focus on work and small kids. Most songs never came to light but some of the first HOY songs are actually built on fragments created 15-20 years ago. A few of them were even originally intended to be SCAPA FLOW material. The years in the 80s and 90s were formative in many ways, not the least in making lifetime friendships. But also musically. The exploring and free attitude of the underground Electronic scene of that time is still an ideal to me. SCAPA FLOW never tried to fit into a model or genre, and I want that to be true for HOY as well.
Q: Apparently, you had been working on HOY for several years, but it took a while before you took the step to release music. Can you tell us more about the origins of HOY and to what extent do you see it as a continuation of — or a break from — your SCAPA FLOW past?
Carl: The idea of releasing as a solo project was born out of an urge to create music, but there were no practical chance to restart the band. I was never the main songwriter in SCAPA FLOW, and it took some effort, time and mistakes to find my own expression. Eventually I was inspired by the local Electronic music scene in my hometown Gävle to take it a step further, and nice and helpful persons from that scene were important to take the necessary steps out of the closet.
The other members of SCAPA FLOW have in some way been involved - in feedback and other ways. I guess you could put HOY as the late maturing younger brother of the band.
Q: How does it feel to return actively to the scene after so many years? Do you still feel connected to the underground scene, and how do you experience it today? Also, how do you view the many (r)evolutions in music-making — such as the rise of AI — and in music consumption, like streaming platforms and curated playlists versus the decline of physical formats?
Carl: It was actually rather awkward to return to the Electronic scene after 25 years. I had been distanced for so many years and felt like a visitor from the 90s. Of course I had listened to some Electronic music and been to concerts with old favorites, but I didn´t keep an eye on new artists. Some of them I have discovered now and love.
So much has changed in technology and music consumption, yet there are many things that sound and look exactly the same. I strongly dislike everything about AI in music, and the music industry for independent artists is even worse than before. The algorithm based streaming consumption seems to have almost killed music journalism, which is a sad thing. But some things have gone in a better direction - the scene is not totally dominated by male artists anymore. And the flexibility and huge capacity of modern DAWs makes it possible to use your creativity at any place at a low cost.
Q: Let’s talk about “Getting Closer”, the debut album by HOY. What were you aiming to achieve with this record, and which musical ideas did you want to explore or incorporate?
Carl: The first 2 EPs included older songs that I more or less needed to get out of the system. The EPs also were a kind of learning curve on how to make it sound as I wished and finding my expression. I was fortunate to get some good help to take the steps to release them by Svensk Hushållssynth (Swedish artist, mastering engineer and micro record label) and Alphamound (Swedish artist and mastering engineer).
Taking the next step to create a full album was a challenge put upon myself. I wanted to create something homogenic enough to be listened to as a ten-part piece, with the dynamics of the old-school LP and CD albums that I grew up with and still love. I also wanted to involve other voices than my own, and to include a cover song was an idea from the start. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to make a small CD edition, since the visual aspect is a thing that really has been lost in the digital era.
Q: Can you tell us more about the composition process behind “Getting Closer”? How did the album take shape, and what stages did you go through to bring it to completion? What were the main challenges, and did you learn anything about yourself along the way?
Carl: My songs always starts from a fragment and an idea of what kind of song I want to shape, and I build it around that fragment during quite some time. It is rare that I have the possibility to spend many hours or a day in the studio, but more shorter moments now and then. I listen to the work in progress during dog walks or running tours, get some ideas and test them the next time in the studio. It can end up quite far away from where you started, but it is a nice tempo for things to mature. At some point you realize you can´t get any further, and by that time the song is usually 2/3 parts ready. I played the 2/3-ready demos for I/O Music in May 2025 and we decided to move on. Another round of implementing ideas, killing darlings. The last thing to finish is usually the final vocal recordings. It was a totally new thing for me to deal with, but when I mixed the contributions of the female guest artists I was really happy with the result.
I always learn things about myself along the way. I gradually learn how to handle self-criticism and how to stay believing in the idea. I also constantly learn new tedious technical stuff in sound engineering and the mixing procedure. The most challenging part for me is to be happy with the final mixing. You tend to compare the sound with all your favourite productions - but you have to realise you can´t copy a sound. You need to learn making it yourself to get it your way.
Q: The title “Getting Closer” suggests a form of rapprochement, perhaps in a world where genuine connection is becoming increasingly rare. How do you interpret this title, and what themes are you exploring through the lyrics?
Carl: That is right. "Getting closer" can be interpreted in many ways. The time we live in is promoting distance and individual achievements at expense of human relations and societal engagement. There are many reasons to why this will end up wrong. I like to see life as a constant movement towards something - inevitably death, of course, but also values and ideals that we share and can live forever. The feeling of approaching something can be even better than acheiving the actual goal itself.
The lyrics tend to explore themes connected to the emotions or the original idea of the song. I don´t want the issue of lyrics to be too clear either - I think the best lyrics whether it is poetry or song lyrics are the ones that could be interpreted in different ways depending on the listener, or the mood of the listener. A few songs are quite personal, others have a clear political undertone.
Q: Now that the album has been released, how do you evaluate it in retrospect? And what are the next steps for HOY — are there plans for future releases or possible side projects?
Carl: I am generally happy with the result, and it has been reasonably well received. I think it reflects what I wanted to express at the time I made it. That doesn´t mean I don´t hear things that could have been done better. I am especially pleased with the duets and the dynamic emotional range of some of the songs.
I am already back in the loop of creating new music. Except for a single edition and remix release in May, I aim to release some new material during 2026. HOY is meant to be an evolving project with no predetermined structure except myself, and I hope to see further collaborations on coming releases. HOY´s live debut in February was inspiring, and I would love to put some effort in developing the live concept for the right occasion, as well.
Q: With the perspective of life experience and maturity, do you feel your view of the world — and the role of music within it — has changed? How do you see the significance of music today, both for yourself and for others?
Carl: Music has always been a central part of my life, though I have other ways to earn a living. I would guess I will deal with some sort of musical creativity until I drop dead. The importance of music, as a univeral language that can connect people from different backgrounds, cultures and ages has become clearer to me with age. Seeing my children fall in love with music that lead ways to express or identify themselves, makes me genuinely happy. There are no dangerous hostility between different groups of music listeners. People that are engaged in musical creativity usually don´t start wars. I think music makes us better.
