Iceage Guitarist Not Excited At Label Signing

Johan Surrballe Wieth, the guitarist for acclaimed Icelandic noise punks Iceage, revealed that he is quite ambivalent about his band's signing to the esteemed indie label, Matador Records, who have released their latest record, You're Nothing.

Weith says, “We can't really say if it was a good idea because the record's only just come out. I've never really knew any of the music they put out, I don't know anything about the label, I don't think we feel as part of some Matador family.”

Matador's roster has, at various times, included Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian & Kurt Vile. Weith continues, saying that, “I guess it was kind of a weird decision because we had been approached by some bigger record labels and I think we were kind of confused whether to even put it

Weith also reveals that he has a conflicted relationship with the touring that is part and parcel of the musician's lifestyle, saying that the touring was “was a test of our friendship, and I think we passed with an A+. Definitely. And of course, the traveling that we have done, in such an excessive amount, did things that were very good, and in some ways very bad.”

It seems that the frustration of touring kept the band in touch with the aggressive feelings that are at the core of Iceage's music. Weith states, “it's very hard to live that way. Not having some kind of thing to grasp onto that seems familiar… When it came time to sit down and write You're Nothing, it seemed like living the dream hadn't blunted the sense of frustration that pulsed through New Brigade.”

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