If you know what’s good for you, you’ll have been listening to Norwegian producer Magnus August Høiberg (his parents named him very well) aka Cashmere Cat’s new album 9 extensively for the past 14 days. It’s star-studded and of course, being by him, a really nice listen. His signature blend of cute bubbling internet pop is pushed in a bunch of different directions here via collaborations with SOPHIE, the discovery of the harmonizer, and Sia’s songwriting skills paired with Ariana Grande’s vocals. Magic.
Magnus teamed up with his mate Benny Blanco as well, who originally beckoned him over to L.A. after discovering his remixes on Soundcloud, resulting in productions for the likes of Charli XCX, Tinashe, and Kanye. It’s “Trust Nobody” featuring Selena Gomez and Tory Lanez that the duo worked on together for this project, producing it in weird studios across the world.
Currently on tour, we called on the super soft feline to get his take on the record, track by track. From making music in SOPHIE’s hidden treehouse studio, to writing songs about Kacy Hill’s dog, and Jhené Aiko talking about death a lot, the process sounded like a mixed bag of fun.
Night Night (feat. Kehlani)
“Me and Holy Other started this in a tiny room in London! It was so small, there was no room to do any cool dance moves. Very confined. We were drinking Crabbies! It’s like an alcoholic ginger beer type thing.”
Europa Pools (feat. Kacy Hill)
“This was based on a demo Evian Christ sent me. I think this was something he started for Yeezus, but I took it first. Kacy wrote the song about her dog, who was very sick at the time.”
After Coachella (feat. MØ & SOPHIE)
“Yeah, I made it after Coachella. I was hanging with MØand she wrote this really good song to the demo so I went to SOPHIE’s house and we produced it. He has a really amazing studio that’s in a hidden tree house — one of my favorite places to work on music.”
Wild Love (feat. The Weeknd & Francis and the Lights)
“This was the first thing I ever made with the harmonizer. Shout out Francis and the Lights for showing me the way! Abel had the song written in like the first minute he heard the beat. I love this one so much. The mix is SO distorted and obnoxious, hahah!”
Quit (feat. Ariana Grande)
“I spent maybe three weeks straight trying to figure out this beat. Everyone close to me went insane from hearing this loop for three weeks straight. Thank you Sia for the amazing song. Love Ariana! Yeaaaa!”
Infinite Stripes (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
“Starrah wrote on this, she’s the best! Pop Wansel and Toro produced it with me. The sample is actually from Pop Wansel’s dad, Dexter Wansel! I love it so much. I got so excited I added a bunch of crazy stuff at the end, sorry!”
Victoria’s Veil
“I finished this at Nina Las Vegas’s house in Australia! The demo was called “808 Party” because everything in the drop is a pitched 808 sample!”
Trust Nobody (feat. Selena Gomez & Tory Lanez)
“Me and Benny made probably 100 versions of this beat. We were both traveling at the time so we had to go into weird studios all over the world with no plugins, trying to finish it. The day it was due we decided we just had to get it right, so we sat down for four hours and redid the whole beat.”
Love Incredible (feat. Camila Cabello)
“I asked Benny to make drums like Diamonds by Rihanna. SOPHIE played some incredible chords, and R City and Camila wrote the song. They all did amazing things. I ruined it at the end but it still sounds so cool.”
Plz Dont Go (feat. Jhené Aiko)
“Based on a song me and Shy Girls wrote! Cathy Dennis wrote the chorus, she’s a real OG and a hero! Love her! Jhené is the best! She loves talking about death and we share healthy snacks all the time.”
9 is out now on Mad Love/Polydor.
Credits
Text Frankie Dunn