Raveonettes' new album is home-grown

In the same place: Raveonettes' Sune Rose Wagner and Sharon Foo typically record separately, but they went back to their native Denmark to make their latest CD “In and Out of Control.” (Courtesy photo)

SAN FRANCISCO — Danish duo the Raveonettes have reached an equitable – if unusual – songwriting-recording arrangement. Guitarist/vocalist Sune Rose Wagner composes in his adopted hometown of New York, while bassist/co-vocalist Sharin Foo works from Los Angeles. But for their sugary new Phil Spector-esque confection “In and Out of Control,” they entered a studio together in their native Copenhagen with veteran producer Thomas Troelsen on board. Wagner – who brings the band to San Francisco on Monday – spoke about the switch.

So you went back to Copenhagen after all this time away? Yeah. To record. We had some money that we wanted to spend, so we went back there and blew it all. But the album didn’t cost that much, because we were friends with Thomas, the producer we really wanted to use, and we made a good deal with him. But we were there for a long time, like two months or so.

How had the city changed since you’d been gone? Well, I didn’t really get to see much of it, because we were in the studio every single day – we didn’t really have any time off. And that was all new to me, being in a studio every day. So I think that a lot of new buildings have come up in Copenhagen, but it’s hard to say – I was there to work.
 
It sounds like a horrific recording experience – no? It was terrible! Well, it was good, but a little heartbreaking. We didn’t really know what the outcome was going to be or what we wanted, so everything was made up on the spot. But Thomas made us focus more on the choruses; we’d been neglecting choruses a lot recently. He was more of a traditional arranger/songwriter, and our song structures aren’t that traditional, so it was cool to make an album that had a bit of both on it. 
 
Are you still miserable, without a girlfriend? No! I am actually dating someone! She’s a girl I met in New York, and I’ve already taken her on a romantic vacation to Hawaii. But a relationship is a problem for me, because I travel so much, so I’m just taking it one day at a time and hoping for the best. 
 
And out of happiness came dark new ditties like “Suicide” and “Last Dance”? Yeah! Because those are always pressing subjects, you know? It’s all personal experiences that I write about. It might not be me, but it's friends or girlfriends or whatever, and it’s always something that I know first-hand.

IF YOU GO

The Raveonettes

Where: Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Ave., San Francisco
When: 8 p.m. Monday
Tickets: $25
Contact: (415) 474-0365; www.bimbos365club.com; www.ticketfly.com