Kristian Solhaug of The Cruel Intentions Talks All Hail Hypocrisy and the Band’s September 23 Whisky a Go Go Takeover

Kristian Solhaug of The Cruel Intentions Talks All Hail Hypocrisy and the Band’s September 23 Whisky a Go Go Takeover

Sweden’s sleaze rock revivalists The Cruel Intentions have spent the last decade building a reputation as one of the most energetic and authentic hard rock bands on the modern scene. With their latest album, All Hail Hypocrisy, earning acclaim from fans of classic Sunset Strip rock, the band continues to blend big hooks, punk attitude, and high-octane live performances into a sound that’s both nostalgic and fresh.

As The Cruel Intentions prepare to make their return to Los Angeles for a highly anticipated appearance at the legendary Whisky a Go Go on September 23, Highwire Daze caught up with guitarist Kristian Solhaug to discuss the upcoming show, working with Eclipse’s Erik Mårtensson, touring adventures with Crashdïet, the band’s early years, and why rock and roll is still very much alive.

We are here with Kristian of The Cruel Intentions. Let’s get right to it. You’ve got a show coming up at the Whisky a Go Go here in Los Angeles. What are you looking forward to most about that show?
First of all, it’s a big deal for us, and for me personally, to play at the Whisky. It’s such a legendary venue. Coming from Europe and Scandinavia, we’ve always heard about the Whisky and know its incredible legacy. So I’m really looking forward to just playing there.

I’m also looking forward to everything surrounding it, being on the Strip, seeing how many people show up, hopefully quite a few! It’ll be great to have our name on the marquee and billboard. I’m excited to head over to the Rainbow before and after the show, hang out there, and soak in the atmosphere. And, of course, I won’t complain about enjoying the nice weather in Los Angeles.

Eclipse and Crazy Lixx recently played out here and packed the place, so I’m sure you’re going to do just fine.
Yeah, I think so. We already know a few friends from all over the U.S. who are actually flying in to see the show, so at least there will be some people there! I think it’s going to be a good evening.

Have you been to Los Angeles before, or will this be your first time?
I’ve been there a couple of times on vacation. I’ve been to the Whisky, seen shows there, and spent time in Hollywood and around Los Angeles. So yes, I’ve been there before, and I can’t wait to come back because I love spending time there.

I’m also a huge music history geek, so I love walking around knowing that Mötley Crüe lived there, Guns N’ Roses rehearsed there, and all that kind of stuff. The music history aspect of Los Angeles is fascinating to me. I can’t wait to get back.

You have another big show coming up, Monsters on the Mountain. Tell me about that event and what you’re looking forward to most.
Monsters on the Mountain is in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We’ve played it before, a couple of years ago, and it’s a great festival.
This time I’m also looking forward to seeing some of the bands on the bill. Tyketto is playing, Warrant is playing, and a lot of great ’80s bands will be there. Stephen Pearcy from Ratt has Warren DeMartini back on guitar, so that’ll be really cool to see.

We’re actually playing two sets at the festival, one on Friday and one on Sunday, so we’ll be there the entire weekend. I’m looking forward to hanging around the festival, spending time in Gatlinburg, and enjoying everything the city has to offer.

For people who haven’t seen a The Cruel Intentions show yet, what can they expect?
I’d say they can expect a high-energy rock and roll show. It’s loud, it’s fun, and it’s supposed to hit you in the face, but in a good way!

We try to keep things spontaneous and focus on playing hard rock and roll while having fun onstage. We want to engage with the audience and create an atmosphere that’s fun for us and fun for the crowd. That’s what it’s all about.

All Hail Hypocrisy is the title of the new album. Is there an overall story or concept behind the album title and the song itself?
I think it’s really up to each person to interpret it for themselves. There’s no single story or message behind it.

It can apply on a personal level if there are people in your life you don’t particularly like, but it can also relate to your job, your boss, authority figures, or any situation where you’re dealing with hypocrisy. It’s not aimed at any one specific person or institution.

We all go through life encountering people and situations that frustrate us, and the song is really about pushing back against that. Ultimately, it’s open to interpretation. People can take from it whatever resonates with them.

Beatin’ In My Chest (Los Angeles) is one of my favorite songs on the album. I hope you play it out here. Tell me a little about that song.
Yeah, that’s actually our second song about Los Angeles and the Sunset Strip. Since we’re playing on the Sunset Strip, I can pretty much guarantee we’ll be playing it.

Lizzy DeVine, our vocalist, writes the lyrics, and the song is really his tribute to Los Angeles. He lived there for five years when he was playing in Vains of Jenna, so it’s his homage to the city and the years he spent there.

It’s also about that longing to come back. Now he’s finally returning, so it’s almost like a homecoming for him. The song reflects his memories and experiences from living in Los Angeles.

Let’s talk about a few more songs. Living Out of Line is another one of my favorites on the album. Tell me about that one.
That’s actually one of my favorites too, especially because I really like the guitar solo.

As the title suggests, it’s about living out of line, pushing boundaries, and maybe being a little reckless with your lifestyle. That’s a theme that shows up in a lot of our songs.

Musically, it’s a classic rock song through and through. You can hear influences from Scandinavian rock bands like Backyard Babies and The Hellacopters, mixed with that classic late-’80s Los Angeles sleaze rock sound.

A lot of people have picked up on those influences. It’s a fun song to play live, and it’s basically about burning the candle at both ends and living life to the fullest.

We all know something about that!
That’s how it goes.

Let’s go to the end of the album. I’m always interested in album closers. “Cast Out” is the final song on the record. Tell me a little about that one.
“Cast Out” was kind of a last-minute addition to the album. I think it’s probably the most ’90s pop-punk influenced song on the record.

All of us grew up during the ’90s, so we were heavily exposed to the pop-punk movement that came out of California. You can definitely hear that influence in the song.

It also has a really positive, upbeat vibe. When I listen to it, I picture summer, beaches, and good times. It’s just one of those songs that gives off that feeling.

Like most of the songs on the album, it’s short, but this one is especially short. It came together very quickly. It’s basically built around simple pop-punk guitar chords and a fun, energetic atmosphere.

Ironically, even though the song itself is pretty straightforward, the guitar solo is actually one of the more complex solos on the album for me to play.

I think it was a great way to close the record, ending things with a short, sweet, summer-friendly pop-punk track.

A few weeks ago, I went to the Warped Tour and saw a whole bunch of pop-punk bands. Honestly, I think The Cruel Intentions would fit in just as well there as you do at Monsters on the Mountain. It would be cool to see you guys on Warped Tour.
Especially Jimmy (aka Lizzy DeVine) and I. We’re huge fans of bands like The Offspring and that whole era of ’90s pop-punk. Playing the legendary Warped Tour would absolutely be a dream come true.

It’s cool that people think we could fit into that world too, not just with the ’80s-style bands but with festivals centered around that kind of music as well. It’s fun to have a foot in both camps.

That would be amazing.

Well, promoter Kevin Lyman, if you’re reading this, check out The Cruel Intentions!
Absolutely!

You recently toured with Eclipse, who also just played the Whisky. What was that experience like?
It was great. We know those guys very well and have played with them a lot over the years. As you mentioned, we’ve toured with them, and Erik Mårtensson, Eclipse’s vocalist, produced our most recent album, All Hail Hypocrisy, as well as the album before that.

We’ve worked with Erik for many years now, so we know him really well. They’re great guys, and they enjoy drinking beer as much as we do, so they’re always fun to be around.

We actually played a festival together just last weekend in Sweden, so even when we’re not touring together, we still run into each other at festivals and events. Touring with them is always a great experience. We share a lot of the same musical tastes, and they’re like big brothers to us in many ways. It’s always good times when we’re together.

What’s it like working with Erik in a producer role?
It’s amazing, honestly. He has so many ideas. On All Hail Hypocrisy, he took on even more of a producer role than he did on the previous album, and it was fun bouncing ideas back and forth with him.

He would come up with suggestions like extending a chorus, trying a different arrangement, or adding something new to a song. He has a great creative mind.

The recording process itself is also very old-school. Erik is a bit of a gear fanatic, so he has a huge collection of amps, pedals, and recording equipment. We spent a lot of time dialing in guitar tones and really focusing on getting the right sounds.

He’s incredibly knowledgeable about sound and the recording process, in addition to being a fantastic producer. We recorded at his home studio in Sweden and spent a couple of weeks there working on the album. It was an amazing experience, and we’re very happy with the results.

Another band you’ve toured with is Crashdïet. What was that experience like?
That’s definitely an experience as well. How can I put it? It’s more of a party tour when you’re touring with Crashdïet.

We get along really well with those guys, and we go way back. We did a pretty extensive European tour with them in 2019, and it was a lot of fun. They’re great people and very good friends of ours.

It’s really one big sleaze rock family over here. There’s a lot of rock and roll, a lot of stories, a lot of laughs, and maybe just enough alcohol involved.

Musically, we fit together really well too. We share a lot of the same fans, so it’s always a great combination when our bands play together. We still do occasional one-off shows with them, and we’d absolutely love to tour with them again. They’re great guys.

A lot of your early singles are now celebrating their ten-year anniversaries, including “Genie’s Got a Problem” and “Accidentally Intoxicated.” When you look back at those songs and realize it’s been a decade, what goes through your mind?
It’s crazy to think it’s been ten years already.

Those songs were written and released right at the very beginning of the band. At that point, we didn’t have a record deal, so putting out a full album wasn’t really an option. The only thing we could do was record one song at a time, make a video for it, and release it independently.

That was basically our strategy during those first few years. We would release three or four songs a year and slowly build the band that way.

“Genie’s Got a Problem” is one of those songs that has stayed in our live set over the years. Some of the others have faded away simply because they’re getting older, but they’re still good songs. You never know, we might bring some of them back into the setlist at some point.

Those songs really represent the very beginning of The Cruel Intentions. They mark the starting point of everything that came afterward.

We all know what Jimmy Jay was doing before The Cruel Intentions. What bands or projects were you involved with before joining the band?
Around the time The Cruel Intentions started, I was playing in a band from Oslo called Bloodlights, which was a spin-off project involving members of Gluecifer, who were a pretty big band in Norway.

At the same time, I was also playing in a band called Gotham Saints with Mats Wernerson, who is now the bass player in The Cruel Intentions. That’s actually how Mats and I first got to know each other.

Beyond that, I played with a variety of bands in Norway, usually for shorter periods of time. I think that’s pretty common before you find the right band. You move around, play with different people, and eventually everything clicks.

Then Jimmy Jay came back from the United States and moved back to Scandinavia, and that’s when The Cruel Intentions really started to come together.

Are you currently involved with any other bands or projects outside of The Cruel Intentions?
No, not really. I do some session guitar work and recording projects here and there, but as far as bands go, all of my focus is on The Cruel Intentions.

You’re about to come to Los Angeles. What message would you like to send to fans out here who are reading this interview right now?
I’d say come out to the Whisky and see us live.

If you’re looking for real, honest hard rock and roll with a little bit of punk attitude, we’re going to give you a great night. We want to show people that rock and roll is still very much alive.

Come see for yourself. I can promise you’ll leave with plenty of energy and a memorable night of rock and roll. We want to prove that rock music is alive, well, and still breathing today.

In Conclusion

With a decade of sleaze-soaked anthems, relentless touring, and a growing international fanbase behind them, The Cruel Intentions continue to prove that classic hard rock remains as vital as ever. Whether they’re sharing stages with Eclipse and Crashdïet, paying tribute to the Sunset Strip on tracks like “Beatin’ In My Chest (Los Angeles),” or delivering high-energy performances around the globe, the band’s commitment to authentic rock and roll shines through.

Los Angeles fans will have the opportunity to experience that energy firsthand when The Cruel Intentions take over the legendary Whisky a Go Go on September 23. If Kristian Solhaug’s enthusiasm is any indication, attendees can expect a loud, passionate, and unforgettable night celebrating the spirit of hard rock and roll. See you on the Strip!

(Interview by Ken Morton – Band Photo by Jørn Veberg – Live Photos by Enrique Sanchez)

The Cruel Intentions on Instagram