Bowmont

The basis of Bowmont’s dreamy sound is comprised of fluid vocals filled with soft lyrics layered on tight beats and groovy melodies. We were blown away by the simple and soulful sound that filled Chez André last week when we attended soundcheck to interview the guys. It was easy talking with Emil Bovbjerg, Danish born writer and lead vocalist, who has an extensive background in music. Bovbjerg began taking lessons at age sixteen before attending Berekeley College of Music in Boston. He then went to a conservatory in Amsterdam where he studied jazz and classical arranging and composition, his area of expertise.

He has a nice smile and dresses just like what you’d imagine a sensitive electro rocker from Brooklyn would: dark jeans and a gray graphic tee that exposes his lower back. One is instantly engulfed in the sweetness that radiates from this tall, curly haired, scruffy faced boy.



STANDARD CULTURE: How did Bowmont come together?

EMIL: Bowmont came along the minute I moved to New York about three years ago. I started writing new songs and new material. I linked up with Jeremy Loucas who is an amazing producer and old friend of mine from school, and we started putting a few recordings out there. We kind of dropped them out on the Internet and it turned out that there was a lot of interest and a lot of people liked it. We were like, “Oh shit.”

What inspires you guys when you go into the studio?
I think what’s fun about is despite the fact that we’ve all been friends for over 10 years, we’ve all taken different paths for a while and come back together, having all learned very different things. I have my classical background, but now I’m also into a bunch of dance music and indie rock. A few of the other guys are into other types of music so we have a very interesting sound.

How would you describe that sound?
A lot of my wind writing, and big band writing, kind of creeps in. But I’m using different instruments. Instead of using a string ensemble, I use synths and electronic elements. It’s a mix between acoustic playing and singing. I am basically writing simple songs, focusing a lot on the lyrics. It starts there.

What inspires your lyrics?
They come from my life. The come from situations that I have been in. I don’t really write love songs, but some of my songs are about relationships with other human beings; about friends and people I meet, and observations about what is happening in society.


There are a bunch of young kids now sitting in their basements making music on their laptops. Do you respect that?
Yes! I totally respect that. I think that everyone should just make the music that they want to make. Just jump into it. For the first ten years I didn’t have any idea what I was doing. In many ways that’s when you really learn, that’s when your foundation is made.

Any insight into the Brooklyn rocker scene?
It’s rough! I mean, it’s not easy, I can say that. It’s a lot of work. It’s very DIY. It’s really inspiring also because there are so many amazing bands out there. I have so much fun doing it, even though it’s not the easiest path. It’s so much fun, I love it.

What’s your life philosophy?
This might sound cheesy, but go for your dreams and be kind to others. It’s all about empathy, and I feel like it’s a big thing not only in music but in life in general. It’s really the simple things. I just try to keep my focus on things that are important and try to speak up about the things that I think are wrong.

What’s one thing about you that no one would guess?
I love soccer! So much. That’s probably something that no one would guess about me.

Euphorian Age released in February 2013. - Standard Culture

E in un mondo in cui chi ha una vita non può sperare neanche lontanamente di arrivare per primo su un nuovo nome o progetto musicale perchè c'è sempre qualcuno che ha già scoperto, divorato e digerito qualunque cosa minuti dopo che viene messa per la prima volta online, è una strana sensazione quella di incrociare una band eccezionale e scoprire che in giro non ne ha ancora parlato quasi nessuno. Loro si chiamano Bowmont, vengono da Brooklyn e sono la creatura del cantante e poli-strumentista Emil Bovbjerg e del fonico e produttore (ha vinto pure un Grammy, pare) Jeremy Loucas. Escono tra una decina di giorni con l'Ep d'esordio Euphorian Age, ma il bellissimo pezzo di apertura Ruphmiup (che sta per «Rough me up») è già online da quasi un anno nel silenzio generale. E non me ne capacito: pattern vocali notevolissimi (vengono in mente i Grizzly Bear, ma la tonalità è tutta diversa) in una elegante cornice elettro-pop (può ricordare le cose meno spudorate di Twin Shadow), con una trasversalità che può piacere tanto al fan dell'indie quanto agli ascoltatori di una radio FM. Roba di quelle che partono come un piccolo fenomeno e poi magari vanno in cima alle classifiche.

A segnalarci i Bowmont è il nostro inviato nell'East side Matte, che nelle vesti di Plastic Health, come musicista e remixer, avete già incontrato su queste pagine. Proprio Ruphmiup è caduta sotto le sue grinfie, e a forza di congas e loop il nostro è riuscito ad aumentare il suo già alto potenziale da aperitivo (e un po' pure quello danzereccio) senza fagli perdere un briciolo della sua eleganza. Mica roba da tutti. - Inkiostro

Os Bowmont começaram em Nova Iorque pela iniciativa do dinamarquês Emil Bovbjerg, cantor e multi-instrumentista. A este juntaram-se membros de três outras bandas - Mon Khmer, Rubblebucket e Eli Paperboy Reed, o que resultou numa onda electro-pop estilizada e cheia de pinta.

Nas três músicas que lhes conhecemos, destacam-se as vozes suaves, as melodias incisivas e a percussão indecisa, que nos surpreende à medida que as músicas avançam. Ouvimos uma, duas, três vezes, e agora queremos ouvir mais. O EP Euphorian Age já está prometido para 1 de Fevereiro de 2013, appetizer para o longa duração a lançar no final desse mesmo ano. - Punch Magazine

Os Bowmont começaram em Nova Iorque pela iniciativa do dinamarquês Emil Bovbjerg, cantor e multi-instrumentista. A este juntaram-se membros de três outras bandas - Mon Khmer, Rubblebucket e Eli Paperboy Reed, o que resultou numa onda electro-pop estilizada e cheia de pinta.

Nas três músicas que lhes conhecemos, destacam-se as vozes suaves, as melodias incisivas e a percussão indecisa, que nos surpreende à medida que as músicas avançam. Ouvimos uma, duas, três vezes, e agora queremos ouvir mais. O EP Euphorian Age já está prometido para 1 de Fevereiro de 2013, appetizer para o longa duração a lançar no final desse mesmo ano. - Punch Magazine

Whale vs. Nine Tigers by Bowmont off Euphorian Age EP ( Bowmont’s debut EP, just released today)

With a combination of a precise drum beat and guitar tab, electronic undertones, and minimalist lyrics, Bowmont is not the average pop band.

Bowmont is for fans of Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Grizzly Bear, and The Flaming Lips - Suburban Beats

What's so good?
By Aaron Blum | March 9th, 2013

Brooklyn-based indie outfit Bowmont previously came to my attention a few weeks back with the track “Ruphmiup,” and has since been on my radar. Bowmont can easily be described as an indie rock band that efficiently uses ambient electronic sounds to create a warm poppy sound to chill to. A comment from their Tumblr page says it best, “When indie rock kissed electronic.”

Their new track “Look Closely” was recently shared over on their SoundCloud page, and much like “Ruphmiup,” the simplistic sound instantly brings you in for a smooth ride.

If you like what you hear, go get The Euphorian Age EP that is currently available on iTunes. - Indie Shuffle

The debut EP sets the bar for how a band will start out. Will they explode onto the scene or need to adjust? Euphorian Age will do just that for the electro-pop band Bowmont. Born in 2012, the band immediate set to work on a collection of demos that ingratiated them to the Brooklyn music scene. Bowmont will prepare for a couple of performances in the New York City area to support their welcomed entrance with this EP. The first concert since the release will be at Glasslands, in Brooklyn, on Feb. 28. They will also head over to the famous Manhattan bar Pianos on March 7. - The Aquarian Weekly

these brooklyn boys are releasing their debut ep tomorrow. the lead track from euphorian age is deceivingly simple, yet driving and the percussions will hook you instantly. it’s a must listen. www.bowmontmusic.com - Humfink.com

A few weeks ago now a track emerged that massively caught the attention. Fun but with hints of murkiness, ‘Ruphmiup’ is as catchy as it is intricate, and proved to be one of those tracks that just demands another listen.
The creators of this cracking new track are Bowmont - yet another brilliant export of ‘electo-rock-pop’ out of Brooklyn. If the aforementioned single served as a teaser, the EP to come does not disappoint.
Following in the indie-rock royalty footsteps of Grizzly Bear and The National, the Euphorian Age EP (out 17/02/13) is a remarkably complete and assured piece of work from these relative newcomers. Like any solid release, it feels like a journey, in fact it feels far more like a proper album than an introductory EP.
Opening with the reason Bowmont arrived on our radar, sumptuous harmonies and driving rhythms move to one side for an almost contemporary Radiohead-like acoustic riff. Marked by the growl of a tiger, the dark imagination of ‘Whale vs. Nine Tigers’ provides a somewhat unnerving turn after the joyousness of its precursor. It’s as tempestuous and dark as the Gothic artwork.
The title track continues to nod to UK indie; with flecks of dissonance, the band’s intelligent song-writing shines through again, before an aptly euphoric chorus rings out and musters feelings of (the good things from…) Turin Brakes and co.
Chunky distortion, intricate off-beat rhythms and cutting riff-work come to the fore in ‘Look Closely’ - a track that makes you do just that. To wrap up this professional 5-track comes ‘Wide Awake’; an ironically dreamy track that floats along and is dominated by a sumptuous low vocal, bringing to mind the likes of The Dears and the aforementioned National.
The more I listen to Euphorian Age, the more I am convinced of Bowmont’s quality - in the production, their song-writing and assurance alongside the inescapable tag of being an indie-rock band from Brooklyn. But the tag does not make the band; this band could be from anywhere in the world, the EP would still sound intriguing and excellent.
Listen to the opening track ‘Ruphmiup’ below; available to download from $1 on their Bandcamp page - This Band That Band

Based in Brooklyn, Bowmont is breaking waves with their EP, "Euphorian Age". Songs like "Ruphmiup" get your head nodding along to the beat as you get lost in the bouncy electro beats popping in the background amid buzzing bass lines and soft, Coldplay-esque vocals.

Dreamy, celestial inspired melodies pull you into an illustrated world when you listen to "Look Closely", another song on their debut EP. Icy waves overtake you as you get lost in the music.

If you think they sound good now, you've got to check out their EP on vinyl--the sound is excellent. It's only nine dollars on sale on their bandcamp; you can also get the digital version for five dollars. Check it out now.
- The Tiny Sparrow

What's so good?
By Aaron Blum | January 30th, 2013

I am not even sure how I stumbled upon this song, and quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. I do know that I just kept the SoundCloud window open while opening and closing many others, hitting the play button over and over.

While I do know that Bowmont is an indie rock band from Brooklyn, NY and that their track “Ruphmiup” has stimulated my ears for the past few hours with a simple snare/high hat/kick drum beat mixed with electronic melodies, there is not much else I could find out about them.

Hopefully we hear more from this band in the future! - Indie Shuffle

First leak from four man Brooklyn group Bowmont’s upcoming Euphorian Age EP releasing early next month. Get lost in the sounds of Ruphmiup a high-tempo electronic song with the potential to be a national hit, you know where you heard it first! - Faux Society

Featured - Blogue Sonoro

Here’s a new track from a new band that I’m beyond stoked to hear more from. Bowmont started as sort-of solo/side project of Mon Khmer, but has since expanded to a full lineup with an EP releasing early next year. I’m not a big Mon Khmer supporter but the sounds of Bowmont are something I can get behind.. easily! You need to spin “Ruphmiup” ASAP, it’s got smooth vocals, driving melodies, and they play with a seemingly indecisive percussionist who adds some surprising rhymthic elements into the track. Oh, and the song builds and bends in a way that’s both progressive and punctual.

First listen: Ok, that was pretty interesting and original.
Second listen: I’m really liking what’s going on here.
Third listen: Annnd, I’m back again. Jamz!
MOAR LISTENS: (In the voice of Breaking Bad’s Jesse) REPLAY VALUE, BITCHES! - I Guess I'm Floating

Unsigned - BuzzChips

Started in NYC as a solo project by Danish singer and multi-instrumentalist Emil Bovbjerg, Bowmont slowly evolved into a stylish electro-pop collaboration involving a LOT of interesting musicians - including members of Mon Khmer, Rubblebucket and Eli Paperboy Reed. The band is now announcing the release of debut EP '“Euphorian Age” on February 1st, which will serve as an appetizer to the full length scheduled for later in 2013. Check out the preview single "Ruphmiup" below and go see Bowmont live at Pianos when they'll be headlining on Friday November 30. - The Deli Magazine

For weeks now I am almost obsessed with a song by the band Bowmont, called “Ruphmiup”. Its easiness, lightheartedness and the playful beat just fascinates me. And with its special combination of Indie and Electronic it also reminds me of Twin Shadow a little, whom I’m a big fan of. Lucky me, Bowmonts leadsinger and composer Emil Bovbjerg, who studied Jazz in Copenhagen and is now living in Brooklyn, New York, told me a little about his life and musical influences. Enjoy!




Q: When and why did you come to New York?!
Emil: I came to NY in the Spring of 2010. I had been visiting the city frequently for years when its gravitational force finally took hold in me and I decided to give in and make the move. The time felt right for me in many ways. Most of my friends in fact live in NY and at the time I was in the middle of a legal dispute with my former producer and manager. I was stressed out and depressed, left my home in Amsterdam and found myself stuck in the icy winter of Copenhagen. It was a really rough time and the only way to move forward for me was to throw away all the material I had been working on during the past years and start from scratch, in a place like NY that felt like home and with no one but myself in the drivers seat.

Q: How would you describe your music? Which genre is it?
Emil: I think, for a lot of musicians and artists in general, this is one of the most troublesome questions (laughs). Rock/Electronic might be the closest but one could arguably add a few more slashes to that… My first influences came from mainly Rock and Soul but I have spent years immersed in all the classical periods, Jazz, Afrobeat and in later years a lot of electronic music as well. All of that comes into play with Bowmont.

Q: Is Bowmont a one man band?!
Emil: Regaining control of my own creativity took a long time and the process had to be a lonely one. Now it’s time to let go of some of that control and involve other people. I wrote and recorded all the material in my apartment over the course of a year and some months but it was always my intention to form a band. Collaboration is such a big part of what makes music come to life for me, but for that year I really needed to rediscover my own voice, write a lot of new material and basically rewire myself for creative output in general. Luckily I am surrounded with incredible musicians, most of whom I have known for many years. They know me almost too well … (laughs)

Q: What can we expect from Bowmont in the next weeks?!
Emil: The music industry is changing so rapidly in these years. So far we have taken the approach of releasing single tracks in between shows and the response has been really great. However, I realize we are testing peoples patience a bit, making them wait for weeks to hear another song so we are planning to release a video and an EP by the end of August. We are currently working on some pretty intense electronic remixes so there will definitely be things to check out also in the coming weeks and months.

Check out Bowmont on its website or follow them on Facebook! - Sing It All Out Loud - Elisa Ortner

This year was much more of a songs year for us… probably having more to do with our listening habits than any lack of noteworthy albums (there are plenty) or any ominous “death of the album” that’s been prophesied for at least a half decade now. Nope… We’re just a songs blog, by and large. We listen almost exclusively to songs from new bands we’re considering writing about. So hopefully this list will open your ears to some great songs you may have missed and reinforce the awesomeness of the ones you already know and love: - I Guess I'm Floating

I recently had the pleasure to speak with Bowmont frontman, singer, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist Emil Bovbjerg. A native of Denmark who now lives in New York, Emil and I discussed the bands most recent EP release “Hovering.”... - Dave Cromwell for Dingusonmusic.com

On the heels of Bowmont‘s fantastic sophomore EP Hovering, the European-bred Brooklyn-based electronic rock collective dropped by the WILD warehouse for a stripped-down but far out take on their single “Out of the Blue.” Catch the performance and preview Hovering below. If you dig it, show some love and buy the EP here. - The Wild Magazine

Brooklyn's Bowmont recently released the single "Just Cause You're Right," a dreamy electropop number that's grounded with dance-ready beats. The song's off a forthcoming EP, Hovering, due out this month, and the band is celebrating the occasion with a show at the Highline Ballroom on February 19th with Dragons of Zynth, Denitia & Sene and Pajama People as part of a Den Entertainment showcase. Tickets are available. For Boston people, you can catch Bowmont with Dinoczar and Vital Sign on February 17th at The Middle East. - Brooklyn Vegan

Just Cause You’re Right is the first single off the second Bowmont EP, Hovering. The single was released on January 29th, and will be accompanied by a brand-new music video which is coming out this month. On February 19th, the Brooklyn trio celebrate the release of Hovering in a Den Entertainment showcase at Highline Ballroom. The show will include Bowmont, Dragons of Zynth, and denitia and sene. Listen to the awesome slice of electronic-pop below, and grab tickets to the show here. - A Music Blog, Yea?

Just got wind of the first single ‘Just Cause You’re Right’ off Bowmont’s impending EP due for release February 19th. Headed up by Danish Emil Bovbjerg, Bowmont have caused quite a storm in the US where they’re based, being compared with the likes of Grizzly Bear, The National and even Radiohead. I’m well into their dreamy soundscape and if I was a teenage girl I’d probably be in love. - Bitchslap Mag

Bowmont, the ethereal electro-Brooklyn dreamers, are back with a new ep entitled 'Hovering' and LX-Goods.com is psyched to exclusively premiere of the first track 'Just Cause You're Right' (listen below). The new track finds Bowmont in progression, retaining their nostalgic, electro-rock sound-scapes, while adding elements of melodies that are grounded by an electro-heavy fault line. Freed from restrictions, the simplicity in 'Just Cause You're Right' works because Bowmont are experts at fluidly pouring together a tasteful and audibly rich concoction of influences.

With humble beginnings in Brooklyn by Danish born singer Emil Bovbjerg and Grammy award-winning engineer & producer Jeremy Loucas, the now 5 piece electro-rock collective can easily be compared to greats like Grizzly Bear, Atlas Genius, The National, or Radiohead... but Bowmont's simplicity and gentle disposition locks in their individual style. The music video for 'Just Cause You're Right' (coming out in 2 weeks) was shot in Bushwick at the Porter Cycles Studio and in Rockaway at Playland Motel, two perfect locations to capture the tracks element of abandonment and angelic rise of hope.

Bowmont will be playing at Highline Ballroom (tix at that link) on Feb. 19th to celebrate the release of 'Hovering'. They will be playing with two other Brooklyn delights, denitia and sene and Dragons of Zynth... an amazing line up indeed curated by Den Entertainment. - LX GOODS

OCTOBER 21, 2014
Internationally-born, Brooklyn-based electronic group Bowmont today premiere the music video for their latest single, “Hovering.” Shot in monochrome by internationally-renowned fashion photographer, Fabrizio Del Rincon, the clip sees Bowmont in a darkly psychedelic scene as they consider fantasies of chance and lust. The minimalism in vision reflects the track’s airy ambience, anchored by off-kilter downbeats and colored by a fluttering analog synth. The single also features Shilpa Ray with ghost-like vocals, whose image only appears in the imagination. “Hovering” is the title track of the group’s sophomore EP, which is out now. Bowmont will perform at CMJ as part of The Deli Magazine’s Electronic Shows at 10:45pm on October 24th at Pianos. - The Wild Magazine

Picked up on Bowmont through the press mail a while back and instantly loved the stuff. Another global mix of New Yorkers, we’ve featured their stuff before in here and used one of their tracks, Glacier, recently this year on one of our video interviews with Greg Dacyshyn. This is their debut music video from their second EP, shot entirely in monochrome by Fabrizio Del Rincon. Give it a look, these guys are amazing. - Bitchslap Mag

Booked at CMJ: Bowmont unveils video for Hovering + plays Glasslands on 11.13

Bowmont ended up on our CMJ 2014 Electronic Stage at Pianos at the last minute, and we couldn't have been happier to have them, since their put on a great show. The band has coined a very personal, moody brand of pop that could be defined impressionistic, if not pointillistic: it's as if their songs emerged from silence like a sonic mosaic created by the combination of many tiny fragments of sound. The quartet just unveiled this video for their song "Hovering," featuring Shilpa Ray (who also played at Pianos that night on our Indie Stage). Check it out below and don't miss them when they play live at (soon to be closing) Glasslands on 11.13 with like minded Brooklynites Mon Khmer. - Photo by Fabrizio Del Rincon



Published: November 03, 2014|| - The Deli Magazine

story / Alex Helfand
photos / Fabrizio Del Rincon

With a lucidly live indie sound shrouded in misty electronic undertones, the Brooklyn-based musicians known as Bowmont are at the forefront of an underground convergence of dance music and psychedelic rock. Their latest single “Hovering” has taken video form with help from internationally-renowned fashion photographer, Fabrizio Del Rincon. With a shadowy liquid backdrop and illusory lighting, the music video accentuates the elusive ambiance of the airy track. Featuring the wistful vocals of fellow Brooklyn musician Shilpa Ray, the single’s also the title track taken from the group’s smooth sophomore EP, which is available now.



Don’t miss them on November 13th at Glasslands Gallery (closing in the New Year) in Williamsburg. Then three parts of the band, comprised of Emil Bovbjerg, Jeremy Loucas, and Elias Meister, will premiere improvised fully electronic live sound on December 6th at Den Entertainment’s Freedom Haus pop up party in a secret Brooklyn location. Email info@denentertainment.com for details. - Ladygunn Magazine