Claus Larsen’s Leæther Strip is a vanguard music project that has continued to shape the industrial/EBM genre since the genre’s infancy in the 80s. For decades Larsen has seen the genre develop and expand, with him continuing to be a pillar in its evolution with his prolific output of albums, singles, and digital releases. Despite obstacles such as the loss of his husband Kurt and dealing with a worldwide pandemic, Larsen remains a musical tour de force, a powerful train in the underground, and Leæther Strip’s newest album, Last Station, demonstrates this.
Larsen has just concluded a series of American concerts earlier this month before gearing up for a round of German appearances. He has graciously let me ask him a few questions about Last Station during this short period of respite. [Note: Larsen’s answers are in italics]
You just completed a round of concerts in America for your current tour. Hope your visit over here was successful!
Larsen: Yes, and it was amazing, as always. The USA has been very good to me and I try to get over there as much as possible. It’s been seven years since the last big US tour, but because of my late husband’s health, and covid, I haven’t really been able to do more than one off’s of festivals. So, getting two weeks of shows on the west coast was amazing, I would have done more on that trip but I have booked shows in Europe to do too. I will be back to do Atlanta, Orlando, Detroit and Newark in May/June. Then I hope to get more bookings for the fall. So far this year has been amazing. New album and lots of gigs.
Last Station has eighteen tracks, sixteen original compositions and two remixed songs from prior albums (“Stigma” from 2021’s Back to Industry and “Japanese Bodies” from the Zoth Ommog single way back in 89). The tracks harness the vibes of old school 80s/90s EBM and are incredibly dance-floor friendly. The sound doesn’t veer into aggrotech – there’s no harsh, unintelligible, pitch shifted vocals – but there’s anger (“Hate DNA”), melancholy (“It Cuts Deep”), and maybe a little sarcasm (“Bite My Tongue”). The most standout track is “Flammen und Flüsse” which drops a serious mad hook between verse and chorus.
Despite the catchy, danceable music, there’s an air of melancholy and finality in the tracks of Last Station, such as in the lyrics of the titular song (“Last station, no exit..”), “It Cuts Deep” (“the pain is endless now, the walls are just to strong for me…”), “Double Edged Sword” (“is this my final call?”), and others. Was this a feeling that naturally emerged while creating Last Station, a coincidence, or something else?
Larsen: Most of the songs on this album was composed after Kurt died, so this was my way of dealing with my grief, and being on my own after twenty-seven years with Kurt by my side. The hardest period of my life, So I just opened the floodgates and poured my soul into the songs. I honestly thought that this was it for me.
The tone of the entire album is emotive and evokes lots of imagery. For example, the cover art of the album coupled with the titular song conjures images of riding along in the dark metro, waiting for a stop that never comes. The album is a vessel of different subjects under a cohesive mood.
Were there any pop culture sources that had an influence on Last Station?
Larsen: During the past few years I’ve been getting back to reading and I think that really inspired me, especially for the mood and sound of the songs, not so much the lyrics. [I’ve] been reading a lot of Clive Barker and Stephen King again. Lyrically it was my own personal pain and grief that poured out. I was very much alone during 2020-21 so there was time to listen to my inner voices, someone else’s needs were more important than my own for many years and there I was, suddenly having to care for myself. Not an easy thing to do.
Larsen mentioning getting back into reading Baker is quite apropos as the horror master penned “The Midnight Meat Train,” which is certainly compatible with the album’s titular song.
How was composing and recording Last Station different than other albums in your repertoire?
Larsen: As I always do, I just sit down and see what pops up in my head. I had a lot of time on my hands so I was in the studio all day and most nights. Also, to get my mind off things and get that pain and grief out that was destroying me. This is for me, by far, my most therapeutic album I’ve composed. It was either do this or end it all. I promised Kurt to go on and focus on my music and playing shows. So ending it was not an option. I keep my promises.
Is there a particular highlight of Last Station that you’re proud of?
Larsen: First of all I’m very proud that I was able to get the album done. I really had my doubts, cause it was very painful to open up for stuff Ive had to suppress for years and years. But, we all are so much stronger than we think. For me, this one is my most important album of my career, and I am very proud of the overall production of the album. I never get tired of learning and becoming a better producer and mixer.
The biggest thing you want to accomplish with Last Station?
Larsen: I hope it can help others as much as it has helped me making it. It saved my life doing this one. Being creative has saved my ass many many times.
Touring, running a label, doing fulfillment, maintaining a prolific output of music, all while the effects of the pandemic are felt. How do you do it all?
Larsen: I am doing what I dreamt about doing when I was fourteen years old. It is all I ever wanted to do really, and I will do anything to keep it going.
Despite the title, there’s nothing “last” in the future for Larsen as the prolific musician has even more output on the horizon.
Upcoming news you’d like to share?
Larsen: We – John Mirland and I – got a new album in the works from the synth-pop project Am Tierpark, and also a new album form the punk/metal project Gusten. For release later this year. I am also putting my last touches on the next Leæther Strip album, release date not scheduled yet, but soon. As for gigs, I will play anywhere I am booked. I hope for more shows in the USA, Canada and SouthAmerica, and hopefully Japan and Australia too.
Sincere appreciation to Claus Larsen for his time doing this interview about Last Station. For more information on the album or Larsen’s projects, please see below: