For a few months, I had been talking with Dion Lambrecht Finne, vocalist in Fabled Mind. When Fabled Mind announced their new concept album, Project Paradise, I asked for an interview and picked his brain behind the idea and how it started.
Let’s start by introducing you. Who is Fabled Mind?
Greetings Karina! We are four individuals hailing from Copenhagen, with a collective presence in the underground music scene for nearly two decades. Now, united under the FM banner, we’re pouring our passion into this project, ready to take on new adventures!
You’re set to release Project Paradise on August 29. But You’re only releasing it on vinyl? How come? And do you know when you’ll release it on streaming?
Oh yes! We wanted to flip the script and offer vinyl collectors a unique and special experience from the beginning. Since the album is conceptual, and each track is interconnected, it felt essential to release it as a cohesive whole. I was a bit hesitant to release singles at first, but what can you do in the age of streaming, playlists, and an average attention span of 15 seconds?
For the streaming addicts (such as myself), the album will be available digitally in January 2024. However, we have some exciting plans in the pipeline. We’ll be dropping additional singles accompanied by cool visuals and videos that complement the music.
How did Project Paradise start?
In November 2020, I left my job as a teacher/social worker after six years with the intention of dedicating my time to music composition. Almost instantly, I penned and recorded what I believed would serve as the upcoming album’s opening track. Ironically, this song didn’t even make it into the album’s final lineup, but it’s a piece I still value and plan to release later.
Soon after, I relocated from Copenhagen back to Bornholm, the small island of my birth and upbringing. It was during a global lockdown, so I knew I wasn’t missing out on anything. The freedom I experienced was eye-opening. Strolls in the woods, the refreshing air, and the detachment from emails, phones, and social media had a healing effect. Not that I was wounded, but I was living my best life—with my dog Kolento.
Initially, I encountered a creative block and switched to a different approach, even considering a change in art form entirely. I began writing horror short stories inspired by teenage memories of Ouija board sessions and the works of the brilliant Danish author Dennis Jürgensen.
Though the initial stories didn’t bear any musical fruit, everything shifted when I started a narrative about a boy with dissociative identity disorder and his deluded mother living isolated in the woods, heavily influenced by H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Outsider” (one of the best short stories ever written) and Fight Club (the movie). The first chapters sparked musical ideas—Riffs, hooks, and lyrical fragments emerged, leading me to write demos while setting aside the story, hoping its plot would unfold naturally. While this didn’t occur, I managed to create four or five songs that were meant to weave around that original storyline.
(WARNING: mega-spoiler incoming for a story that will likely remain unread.) The second chapter of the story sees the boy’s mother perish in a devastating fire, only for him to later realize that his own destructive and revengeful personality ignited the blaze.
Although “Awakening” was intended as the opening track for that story, as you’ll discover, I incorporated it into the concept that evolved into Project Paradise. After this initial phase, I entered a creative flow state, continuously writing riffs and melodies—the ability to compose songs had finally returned.
I’ve always had a dream of writing a concept album but never had the time, guts, or knowledge on how to do it. Despite these barriers, I stubbornly resolved to make it happen this time.
At the same time, I developed an interest in AI after encountering Nick Bostrom’s simulation argument. This thought experiment propelled me down various rabbit holes, some more useful than others. Given my affinity for exploring mental illness and my original intention to continue the story of the boy and his mother in the woods, I found myself grappling with writer’s block.
During a holiday in Spain, my girlfriend suggested that I focus on the AI-related theme that had been keeping me awake rather than wrestling with the original concept. Armed with the data and narratives gathered throughout that year, I deemed her idea truly promising, even though I was hesitant due to my lack of expertise and knowledge on the topic. After all, I had a lot of perspectives and experience with mental illness through my former job, but what did I know about AI and technology?
Not much, but I was inspired to work hard again from this point onward. I worked almost nonstop on the new story and concept. I dove into an intense creative process, shaping a new story and concept that held onto the theme of isolation – not in the woods but in high-tech domes controlled by an AI entity. I still wanted the main character to be detached from reality—not due to a mental twist, but because of manipulation by a machine. I knew I wanted to write an ending inspired by Fight Club that would give the story an entirely new dimension—not because the protagonist has a split personality, but because… This would be a spoiler, right?
I kept writing songs, knowing they had to stand alone yet weave together to support the narrative—a tricky balancing act!
There were plenty of song ideas that didn’t make the cut before we hit the studio, relegated to the realm of demos. But the ones that made it to the recording phase stayed true to their original form. The entire writing and recording process stretched over two years, a creatively fulfilling adventure that I’ll always hold dear. This album has functioned as a personal education for me, marking the first time I genuinely enjoyed and trusted the creative process itself rather than focusing solely on the end goal. The album comprises the best songs I’ve ever written, reflecting a fusion of music genres, theories, and stories I’ve encountered since I first began my musical journey.
After finishing the album, I wrote a very detailed draft of the short story, drawing inspiration from the songs, with hopes of revisiting and refining it for eventual release.
You’ve already released one single, and it’s the title track, too. And you have some heavy lyrics in that song alone. What inspired you to the lyrics: “A reflection of perfection expanding your perception”?
These lyrics draw inspiration from the impact of social media on our minds and the way tech companies have turned our lives into a sort of Skinner box, exploiting our cognitive vulnerabilities. It’s remarkable how social media’s evolution has shaped our interactions and perspectives and even become a primary news source for many.
Within the album’s narrative context, the mechanism “DreamWiper Protocol” comes into play, erasing human dreams and replacing them with advertisements for the simulation system. “Project Paradise” thrives on human engagement and requires people to stay logged in extensively. The concept of the dream wiper mechanism aims to keep individuals sedated, entertained, and far from critical thinking.
The line “A reflection of perfection, expanding your perception” alludes to the concept of individuals modifying themselves to attain their own version of perfection. In parallel, it touches upon the system’s capacity to transcend these limitations, granting access to experiences beyond our physical reality. This duality reflects how the system not only facilitates personal transformation but also offers a broader perspective beyond our conventional boundaries. The notion of shaping oneself is akin to the filters and idealized images often found on platforms like Instagram or Facebook.
“Heirs of the Stars” is a beautiful song; you switch between Danish and English. But let’s translate the first verse. You mention my rough translation: “In the depths of my mind, I try to reach you anyway.” Can you touch on this song and what it means a bit more?
Thank you very much! “Heirs of the Stars” holds a particularly special place in the album. The track’s inclusion in the vinyl edition almost didn’t happen due to its distinctive nature compared to the rest of the songs. But as the first acoustic and slow song I’ve ever recorded, it showcases the album’s diverse range.
The first verse of the song is in Danish, a spontaneous outpouring of words that emerged while I was exploring the chords. At the time, these lines didn’t hold a specific meaning for me. It wasn’t until I had the broader context of the story in place that their significance became apparent. These lines were written during the period I was developing the “boy in the woods”-concept, which gives the song a haunting and surreal vibe.
Within the “Project Paradise” narrative, this song emphasizes the protagonist’s distorted perception of reality. This shift occurs shortly after he injects a drug called “Bio-restore,” supplied by the resistance group. In this state, he establishes an entirely new connection with the stars, the universe, and his fellow humans. This profound experience leads him towards a state of healing and mental clarity. The verse captures his internal struggle to maintain contact with his true self while simultaneously releasing his prior understanding of life’s purpose.
So, you told me one song that won’t make the vinyl. Which one is it and why?!
What the hell, man—This is insider information! But since the cat’s out of the bag; I guess we can reveal it. “Pursuit of Happiness” was the “lucky” contestant who didn’t make it to the vinyl cut.
It felt like killing one of my babies (I’ve just got a human one, so I’m allowed to say that), but the song will appear on the digital version as intended. It has one of my favorite riffs from the album toward the song’s ending. Musically, the track blends with the album’s overall vibe, mirroring the essence of some of the other tracks. The difficult decision to exclude it from the vinyl was a matter of the medium’s limitations—It turns out that a vinyl can only have so many minutes.
In the broader scope of the album’s narrative, “Pursuit of Happiness” philosophizes over the concept of happiness and explores its connection with suffering. It’s within this juncture that the main character experiences the effects of the mind-altering substance “Bio-restore” for the first time, leading to a new perception of reality. The song suggests that there’s a certain level of intertwined suffering necessary to truly appreciate moments of happiness. Additionally, it reflects on the idea that the constant dopamine rushes in the AI simulations only offer a superficial form of bliss.
It reflects on whether a constant dopamine rush in the AI simulations truly offers genuine happiness. In essence, the lyrics ask if pursuing happiness is worthwhile and if living in unending bliss is even possible or desirable. The song is inter-connected with “Heirs of the Stars,” resulting in overlapping themes between the two tracks.
So, “Time Machine” closes the album, but does it complete the story? And you manage to touch on many different sounds in those seven minutes. Why didn’t you split it up into two songs?
“Time Machine,” serving as the closing track, not only brings the album to a conclusion but also ties up the narrative arc. To me, it stands as a resolution, interweaving diverse genres across its seven-and-a-half-minute duration. I never thought about splitting it into two separate songs—It might just be the best song I’ve ever written.
During its creation, I found myself captivated by the process of idea generation. The song’s evolution was a journey of nearly constant work, devoting eight to ten hours a day for a month. What struck me was how the ideas seemed to dictate the direction, leading me along rather than the reverse.
The song blends various tempos, moods, and shifts in perspective, transitioning from the protagonist’s viewpoint to that of the AI entity. Its rather atypical length in the context of a punk album mirrors the album’s overall uniqueness. That’s what my mom always told me—”You’re unique”—So let’s go with that instead of calling it weird. In the middle of the song, you’ll find the crucial “Fight Club Moment” that twists the narrative and casts a whole new light on the rest of the songs. The lyrics have numerous references, providing an Easter egg experience for attentive listeners. Being the last song I wrote for the album, I channeled all my creativity into it.
Ultimately, I hope listeners make it to the album’s end—Without this final piece, the puzzle remains incomplete!
You can buy Project Paradise here.
And follow them on their socials here: Instagram || Facebook
Photo courtesy of Rocio Arcenegui
