Efterklang: "Getting Reminders" — How a Mother’s Guitar and Lisbon’s River Shaped a Song

In this episode of The Hardest Part, host Kieron Banerji sits down backstage at The Barbican with Casper Clausen of Danish band Efterklang to dive into the quiet evolution of their track “Getting Reminders,” from the album Things We Have In Common.

Unlike their typical in-the-box production style, “Getting Reminders” grew slowly and organically — first as a sketch on Casper’s mother’s old guitar in his Lisbon studio, then as a living, breathing piece shaped by years of live performance. The song blends simplicity with deep emotional nuance, capturing a tension between the natural world and human control, between personal surrender and global disintegration.

Casper opens up about the instrument’s worn character, the river outside his window that served as a kind of spiritual metronome, and how songwriting became a feedback loop of intuition and revision. He also reflects on the magic of collaboration, including how Beirut’s Zach Condon brought trumpet arrangements that transformed the track’s DNA.

Listeners will hear an exclusive live session of “Getting Reminders,” offering a rare glimpse into the raw, evolving version of a song that has taken on new shape each time it’s played.

Artist: Efterklang
Song: “Getting Reminders”
Album: Things We Have In Common

Host and Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji

Recording and Mix Engineer: Max Walker
Creative Team: Callum Baker & Giovanni Almonte
Recording Location: The Barbican & Thin White Duke Studios, London

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.