With their debut album ‘Star-Crossed Lovers’, Danish rock band Mansfield turns big emotions into clever poetry.

Mansfield has created an album that puts emphasis on songwriting and great melodies. The 11 tracks on ‘Star-Crossed Lovers’ show the band’s appreciation of British guitar pop from especially the 1960’s and 1990’s. By using as few musical elements as possible, the band members have created their own unique sound of vocal harmonies blending with crunchy guitars, melodic bass lines and vibrant drumbeats. The main recording tracks were finished in three days, and the songs ooze of toe-tapping energy captivating the listeners straightaway. Quintessential to the album is lead singer Christian Stage’s intense vocal with its heartfelt deliveries.

The themes of the album are love, hope and desperation as indicated by the title ‘Star-Crossed Lovers’, a notion found in Shakespeare’s tragedy of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. This story of two lovers wanting to be together yet kept apart by fate is still relevant today. Guitarist Mathias Havelund explains, “Nowadays, love is challenged by so many things in our busy lives, but people still wish for real love and authentic relationships.” According to Mansfield, shattered ideals and dreams can easily destroy all hope and allow disappointment to take over. The lyrics on ‘Star-Crossed Lovers’ portray hope and desperation as inevitable aspects of life.

While the songs address universal themes within the context of everyday life, elements from classical literature function as relevant echoes of the past. However, in the song ‘Just Like Romeo and Juliet’, lead singer and songwriter Christian Stage reinterprets Shakespeare’s tragedy and expresses optimism in the following words, “We will skip the tragic ending and hold onto the part when boy meets girl.” Moreover, the band draws on inspiration from British culture and music, which also shines through on the first two singles released earlier this year, ‘Tell It Like It Is’ and ‘A Place in the Sun’.

Mansfield consists of Christian Stage (vocals and guitar), Mathias Havelund (guitar and vocals), Mathias Wedeken (bass) and Filip Gulløv (drums). ‘Star-Crossed Lovers’ was recorded at Vibe Factory Studios by Jakob Winther and Nick Lee and was produced by Jakob Winther, while the mixing and the mastering were done by Morten Bue (Mew, Kashmir, The Rumour Said Fire).

Photo credits: Jesper Ludvigsen