SUECO IS THE PERFECT COMBINATION OF PUNK ROCK AND LA RAP
Growing up in LA has helped Sueco create a unique sound and vibe that has caught the attention of punk rock fans all around the world. His new album Attempted Lover is out now and we got the chance to sit down with him to learn all about how he got his start in music.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
What was your first introduction to the pop-punk music scene?
American Idiot was the first album I ever bought with my own money, I was maybe 11 or 12. I had it on my lil janky mp3 player and memorized all the songs within a week or two. From there, I expanded to a lot of the more scene and metal core stuff that was big in the late 2000’s/early 2010’s, A Day to Remember was one of my favorites. I probably saw them 10 times live when I was a teenager. That whole vibe has kinda just been a part of me since as long as I can remember to be honest.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
So my family is Finnish-Swedish and where I grew up in LA was mainly a Mexican and Salvadorian area. A lot of the homies, their parents wouldn’t really speak much English, mainly Spanish, and so when I’d go over to their houses, they would call me “Sueco” or “El Suececito” which means “the little Swedish boy” in Spanish. It stuck, and it’s been my nickname ever since. When it came time for me to choose an artist name it felt obvious to just use that.
How does being from LA influence your fashion and music style?
I would say it’s an integral part of me, when I think about it. Everyone I grew up around all listened to rap. I did too. I remember when Kendrick came out with Section.80, and everyone knew, damn, he’s about to be the biggest rapper on the planet, and then sure enough, look at bro now. The whole ratchet sound that YG and DJ Mustard really pioneered is insane. The reason I started making beats in the first place was because I wanted to make beats like Mustard. A big part of my musical identity formed from those 2 worlds of rock music and the sounds of LA rap that I grew up on.
A lot of my homies were skaters too. Personally, I was a downhill skater, like skating mountain roads and stuff. I was never the best street skater. I was the kid at the skate park with the laptop open making beats. Something about being at that skatepark just brings everybody together, it’s a community and a camaraderie and I was just attracted to that feeling of belonging. It was hard to find elsewhere.
Fashion wise, it was kind of the same thing. In high school, I would have my lil Asking Alexandria scene kid shirt, but it was a XXL and I rocked it with the super big Dickies and some fresh Chucks or some Vans hahaha. Best of both worlds. As I got older, I started to appreciate more of the style from LA bands in the 80’s. Mainly hardcore bands like Black Flag (I know they’re OC but same thing) and also to some extent the hair metal stuff like Motley Crue and Guns N’ Roses. Polar opposites I know, but both striking.
You just released your newest album “Attempted Lover”. Talk to us about the process of creating this album and what you’re most excited about from this new release.
So, all 2022 and 2023 we were on tour pretty much nonstop. We did over 100 headline shows within an 11-month span. 4 massive runs in total. US runs, Europe runs, Australia, all over the place. When we weren’t actively touring, we spent a lot of time in Japan and Korea, spent some time in London, just experiencing life in different places and writing.
End of last year, I found myself back in my dad’s garage in Pasadena, where I started making music in the first place. I set up my old studio and sifted through 200 song demos that I had wrote over the past few years, piecing together what would become this album, Attempted Lover.
To some extent, lyrically, it’s like a road diary. Trying to find that missing piece of me, that love, maybe it’s out there somewhere, and this deep frustration and restlessness over the fact that I still haven’t found it. Sonically, it’s pretty varied; there are more full band songs, more acoustic songs, and more electronic songs, but they all felt like they were coming from that kid version of me in the garage, just having fun and making music, trying to make something out of nothing. It feels right. We filmed a music video for every song in that garage too. A lotta work but we did it, shoutout Nas my video director, they’re sick.
I’m just stoked to be able to put out more art. There was a period where I felt trapped in the whole label thing, so it’s freeing to just be able to put things out when I want to.
Why did you decide to become an independent artist?
“Creative control,” the fact that there was a machine whose whims were dictating my career. It was constraining, and I didn’t like it one bit. I just wanted to be able to put stuff out when I wanted. It took a while to get out, but we made it happen. Shoutout my lawyer Rick.
Transitioning to independence has been daunting, and there is no safety net. It’s sink or swim. But if there’s one thing I know about myself, I’m not gonna stop kicking until I fucking drown. I’m one stubborn motherfucker.
You’ve worked with various hip-hop artists like Offset, Lil Yachty and Ty Dolla $ign. Are there any women hip-hop artists you’d like to work with one day? What kind of song would it be?
Not sure if and when, but Meg Thee Stallion would be crazy. I’ve made more J-rock style stuff recently, and I’ve been writing for bands in Japan, so I feel like an anime theme song sounding record and she hops on for a verse would go nuts. I know she just dropped a song with a Yuki Chiba too. I don’t think anybody would see it coming but that’s what’s sick about it.
Where did the inspiration for “Mulholland Drive” stem from?
I was in the process of buying this ’91 Mercedes Benz 190E, right hand drive, Japanese import. I took it for a spin and this story came to my head of almost like a Romeo Juliet thing, where the boy drives to the girl on a death race, he doesn’t know that she’s driving to him too and they crash into each other and die on the way. Kind of dark, but beautiful too.
We were in Nashville at the time, and I was listening to a lot of first album Coldplay. Something about that album is just fucking magical. It was our attempt to capture the emotion of something like “Sparks” with the concept I had come up with.
What advice do you have for anyone struggling with a toxic relationship?
I asked my aunt, “Did you know something was different when you met my uncle?” They been together for I think 30 years, and she, like me had been in a toxic cycle before they had met. Difference is now she’s on the other side and they’ve been super happy together for a long time.
She told me that first, she recognized the cycle that she was in, and that it wasn’t healthy. She had to accept that yes, she is worthy of a real love, not something that will tear her down, but uplift her. Then understand that because of this cycle, the way she understood love was as this almost destructive force. That real love will probably feel unfamiliar. It won’t really make sense at first.
She told me when she met my uncle, it almost didn’t feel right at first. She was used to holding on for dear life on the roller coaster ride, but this felt stable. It was a process of letting go of the previous understanding of what love was and learning to grow into this new feeling. She explained it almost as growing into love instead of falling into it.
That was some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. Thank you, Aunt Angie.
Do your tattoos have significant meanings? Which tattoo is your favorite?
At first they did. My first tattoo I got when I was 15. It’s a parrot. My mom passed away from breast cancer when I was 15, and it symbolized her. When I was younger, I was shy and didn’t talk a lot and the running joke was that I was her parrot, that I would just repeat the same things that she would say.
Me and my dad have matching tattoos. We both have “Hold Fast” written on our knuckles. It’s an old sailor’s tattoo, referring to not letting go to the ropes on the ship when you’re at sea. My dad had it already, so I figured I would get the same thing.
After I got a couple, I just started saying fuck it and putting cool designs on my body, at this point not many of my tattoos really have significant meanings, they’re just cool art I wanted on me.
I have the American Idiot cover on me, a figure from the loading screen of Tony Hawk: American Wasteland, Han Solo’s blaster from Star Wars, just a bunch of stuff from my childhood that meant a lot to me.
Probably two of my favorites, besides my first few that are meaningful, are my Doodlebob tattoo and my palm tattoos. Doodlebob is probably the worst quality one I have hahah but it’s suiting for Doodlebob, I love it because it’s so dumb. I also have “Hi” written on one palm and “Thanks” written on the other. I just thought how, “how many times in my life do I say hi or thanks? What if I could just lift up my palm instead?” Hahahaha again so dumb but that’s why I love it.
Describe your ideal dream girl.
Strong and independent. Chasing their dreams. Has the spark in their eyes, that hunger for life. A creative soul in some way shape or form. Probably more extroverted because I’m definitely introverted. Somebody who can be understanding of me and all my quirks and the lifestyle I live. Someone a bit more free flowing because I can be pretty rigid when I’m in “get shit done” mode haha. My girlfriend Izzy is like this.
Outside of music, what are some things you do for fun?
Skate around, I hike, I like going on runs in the morning when I can get up early enough haha. I’ve been playing video games a bit more now, trying to give myself the time to be able to just enjoy things. I’ve been stuck playing this game Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s based on Dungeons and Dragons. Me and my girlfriend started a co-op play through and if we’re not careful we can blow through 8 hours straight playing like it’s nothing haha. I only really pop it open on days where I don’t have to get anything done. I am truly a nerd at heart.
Besides your new album, what’s next for Sueco?
We got a US tour coming up from September to November! Currently planning another Europe run and an Australia run. I just love the road. Playing a good show is a drug like no other. After all that, probably gonna set up shop in Thailand or somewhere for a bit, bring out my friends and make more music. I don’t know plans change pretty quickly for me, so we’ll see where all this stuff goes in the next couple months haha.
Thanks for having me on here, means the world for real!!!
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor in Chief: Prince Chenoa Studio (@princechenoastudio)
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Photographer: Amadou Ba (@ueart)
Stylist: Antonio Knight (@iwasbornfromsex)
