Friday Mixtape: a collaborative mix from Jenny Hval and Håvard Volden's new project Lost Girls

This week’s Friday Mixtape is from a new collaborative project from the brilliant Jenny Hval and equally talented multi-instrumentalist Håvard Volden. Adopting their name from Alan Moore and Melinda Gebble’s cult comic, Lost Girls, their first release on Norwegian label Smalltown Supersound consists of two lengthy tracks.

Culminated from years of collaboration but fitting into a 12” record, each side presents a joyful moment in time. Not a project full of ambition but rather just two old friends who regularly play together putting something out into the world, it’s an honest record with Jenny explaining: “We don’t want to trouble the world, but I’m happy that it’s being released.

Below, Jenny and Håvard discuss Lost Girls first release titled Feeling, the genre-spanning mix of songs they’ve chosen for this special mixtape and their ongoing collaboration.

When or where should this mixtape be listened to?

Jenny: I don’t really like the idea of listening to mixtapes for a specific reason. It sounds so tidy and compartmentalised. You should listen to any mixtape when you come across it and feel like listening to something.

Håvard: I do love being on tour driving and someone puts on a really good mixtape. Or just a string of songs.

Jenny: Good point. Especially when it feels inclusive.

What songs or albums did you listen to as teenagers?

Jenny: Sophie B. Hawkins’ _Tongues and Tails. Actually, I wasn’t a teenager yet when this came out, but it made me become one, prematurely. I still think it’s a great album. I still think her version of I Want You is better than Bob Dylan’s original, or if not better. It’s so daring.

Håvard: Blood Sex Sugar Magik [by Red Hot Chilli Peppers.] That was the first album I bought for my own money. On cassette tape. I really loved that album…their only good album though.

What kind of posters did you have on your bedroom walls?

Jenny: Horse posters, maybe one of Bjork from the Post album. Very sensual walls.

Håvard: Samantha Fox and Italian soccer players.

Jenny: Also very sensual but in a different way…

Can you tell us a little about your new record?

Feeling is a 12 inch, which means it’s an EP-length LP. It consists of one song Jenny wrote with Håvard, and one song Håvard wrote with Jenny. One was written slowly over three years, the other was written three years ago. The artwork was meant to hint at one of our favourite labels, Lovely Music. Looking straight at it, it’s a landscape, but tilt it to the side and it’s a shoulder and arm. Like all landscapes.

If a feature film about Lost Girls was to be made what song would be on the trailer and why?

It wouldn’t have any song on it. Just normal sounds, sounds of furniture maybe or household machines. That would be great. And no low, male voice either.

Tracklist:

Cocteau Twins – Aikea-Guinea

Jenny: The video I saw for this song was one of the first I ever watched on the internet. The quality was so bad I still don’t know what images are in it, expect a slow zoom into a spiral staircase. When I die, I hope death is the 90s internet.

Joni Mitchell – Amelia

Håvard: I listened to this song, and this version, again and again on a bus ride during the night once. I can’t remember where. But I remember I wished this could be much longer.

Vilde Tuv – Ensom Cowgirl

Jenny: Vilde Tuv makes the internet great again. Electro-acoustic trance.

Protomartyr – A Private Understanding

Håvard: I don’t listen to much new rock music these days, but I discovered this band from Detroit a few months back and they’re great.

Jacqueline Humbert – Androgyny

Jenny: I came across this because someone recommended the Daytime Viewing album, which is great. But I also enjoyed this more traditional piano song, something that Judee Sill could have been singing, except it sounds like an art project.

Phil Harmonic – Timing

Håvard: A beautiful and calming composition. Some live performances of this piece lasted up to 24 hours.

Espen Reinrette – Alene med arvetoffet

Jenny: Very sympathetic late night music. The name of this track in English is Alone with the DNA.

Roy Harper – Hors D’Oeuvres

No comment, our heads are empty at this point. Like every late night.

Jenny Lewis – The Voyager

Jenny: This song is very touching, partly because it’s performed in a really straight-forward way, almost hiding its heavenly yearning.

La Borges – Clube de Esquina No.2

Håvard: A very beautiful song that makes me happy.