Swedish Indie Pop
Encyclopedia
In the start of the 2000s, Swedish indie bands found their way into the international music scene.
A Camp
, the solo project by front singer Nina Persson
from The Cardigans
, released her self-titled debut album in 2001. The lead single 'I Can Buy You' was a small hit in the UK peaking at #46.
Two years later, The Cardigans returned with their album 'Long Gone Before Daylight': a quieter, more ambient collection of songs. In Sweden it was certified 2x Platinum, winning 2 Swedish Grammy Awards.
José González
is a Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter of Argentine descent. His cover 'Heartbeats' by his fellow Swedes The Knife
was a hit in the UK singles chart
where it peaked at #9 in 2003.
Indie band The Concretes
first appeared in 2004 on the UK Single Chart with 'You Can't Hurry Love' #55 and 'Seem Fine' #52. Lead singer Victoria Bergsman
left the group in 2006 and recorded with Peter, Bjorn and John the single 'Young Folks' the same year. It reached #35 in the UK singles chart
and was re-issued the following year making it #13.
The following indie artists are of notable mention: The Hives
, Eskobar
, The Soundtrack of Our Lives
, Dungen
and kent
.
A Camp
A Camp
A Camp is the solo side project of Nina Persson, vocalist for the Swedish Indie Pop band The Cardigans.Persson formed A Camp when The Cardigans took a break after several years of touring and the recording of their 1998 album Gran Turismo.-A Camp:...
, the solo project by front singer Nina Persson
Nina Persson
is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish pop group The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and appearing on the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg entitled Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited...
from The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
, released her self-titled debut album in 2001. The lead single 'I Can Buy You' was a small hit in the UK peaking at #46.
Two years later, The Cardigans returned with their album 'Long Gone Before Daylight': a quieter, more ambient collection of songs. In Sweden it was certified 2x Platinum, winning 2 Swedish Grammy Awards.
José González
José González
José González is a Swedish-Argentine indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg, Sweden.González is also a member of Swedish band Junip, along with Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn.- Biography :...
is a Swedish indie folk singer-songwriter of Argentine descent. His cover 'Heartbeats' by his fellow Swedes The Knife
The Knife
The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...
was a hit in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
where it peaked at #9 in 2003.
Indie band The Concretes
The Concretes
The Concretes are a popular Swedish indie pop band from Stockholm, currently composed of eight members.-History:The Concretes began with Victoria Bergsman, Maria Eriksson, and Lisa Milberg. Since their formation in 1995, they have gradually acquired new members, growing into an eight piece band...
first appeared in 2004 on the UK Single Chart with 'You Can't Hurry Love' #55 and 'Seem Fine' #52. Lead singer Victoria Bergsman
Victoria Bergsman
Victoria Bergsman is a Swedish songwriter, musician, and vocalist best known as singer of the indie pop band The Concretes from 1995 to 2006. Since announcing her departure from the band on 24 July 2006 she has been recording for her new solo project Taken by Trees...
left the group in 2006 and recorded with Peter, Bjorn and John the single 'Young Folks' the same year. It reached #35 in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and was re-issued the following year making it #13.
The following indie artists are of notable mention: The Hives
The Hives
The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to Say I Told...
, Eskobar
Eskobar
Eskobar is the name of a Swedish indie/pop band that was founded in 1996 some 30 kilometres north of Stockholm, in the small town of Åkersberga...
, The Soundtrack of Our Lives
The Soundtrack of Our Lives
The Soundtrack of Our Lives, alternatively known as T.S.O.O.L. or Soundtrack, is a Swedish rock band that formed in 1995 after the dissolution of the punk band Union Carbide Productions....
, Dungen
Dungen
Dungen is a Swedish rock band based in Stockholm. Often classified as progg or psychedelic rock, Dungen is also influenced by Swedish folk music, classic rock, progressive rock, garage rock and alternative rock....
and kent
Kent (band)
Kent is a Swedish alternative rock band founded in Eskilstuna in 1990, with the name Coca-Cola Kids, later Jones & Giftet , and Havsänglar...
.
List of Notable Swedish Indie Pop Artists
- The SoundsThe SoundsThe Sounds are a Swedish Indie Rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons....
- Billie the Vision and the DancersBillie the Vision and the DancersBillie the Vision & the Dancers is a Swedish indie band with roots in Malmö, Blekinge, Dalarna and Argentina. The band recorded the first album I Was So Unpopular in School and Now They're Giving Me This Beautiful Bicycle in the spring of 2004. They produce their albums through the company Love...
- The ConcretesThe ConcretesThe Concretes are a popular Swedish indie pop band from Stockholm, currently composed of eight members.-History:The Concretes began with Victoria Bergsman, Maria Eriksson, and Lisa Milberg. Since their formation in 1995, they have gradually acquired new members, growing into an eight piece band...
- Amber OakAmber OakAmber Oak is a Swedish band from Skellefteå, which was formed in 2008 by Erik Ekersund, Joseph Dahlberg and Albin Marklund. The band is signed to the Skellefteå-based record label A West Side Fabrication...
- DungenDungenDungen is a Swedish rock band based in Stockholm. Often classified as progg or psychedelic rock, Dungen is also influenced by Swedish folk music, classic rock, progressive rock, garage rock and alternative rock....
- EggstoneEggstoneEggstone is a Swedish Indie Pop band, formed in 1986. The three members - Per Sunding , Patrik Bartosch and Maurits Carlsson - were raised in the small coastal town of Lomma, outside Malmö...
- El Perro Del MarEl Perro del MarEl Perro del Mar is a musical project that was founded in December 2003 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The sole member of El Perro del Mar, Sarah Assbring, initially started as an MP3/CD-R artist and released her first songs through Hybris Records...
- Fever Ray
- Tobias Fröberg
- José GonzálezJosé GonzálezJosé González is a Swedish-Argentine indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Gothenburg, Sweden.González is also a member of Swedish band Junip, along with Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn.- Biography :...
- Hello SaferideHello SaferideHello Saferide is a Swedish twee pop band fronted by songwriter Annika Norlin. According to Norlin's MySpace, the stage name "Hello Saferide" was "inspired by an intelligent bus driver in a drug-addicted small town, don't ask." The Swedish-language version of the band's biography identifies the...
- I'm From BarcelonaI'm from BarcelonaI'm from Barcelona is a pop group from Jönköping, Sweden, best known for its 29 band members and eclectic mix of instruments such as clarinets, saxophones, flutes, trumpets, banjos, accordions, kazoos, guitars, drums, and keyboards among others...
- Jonathan JohanssonJonathan Johansson (musician)Jonathan Johansson, born August 29, 1980, is a Swedish musician and singer-songwriter from Malmö. He is currently on Hybris Records.Pitchfork describes his music as containing "the bruised emotionalism and chilly synthcraft of his Swedish language debut, En hand i himlen ."His single "Aldrig...
- The KnifeThe KnifeThe Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...
- jjJj (band)jj are a band that release music through the Gothenburg-based independent label Sincerely Yours, which was founded by the Swedish pop group The Tough Alliance. The band consists of Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander.-History:...
- Jens LekmanJens LekmanJens Martin Lekman is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. The English lyrics reflect an advanced knowledge of the language and its idioms...
- Lacrosse
- Loney, DearLoney, DearLoney, Dear is the pseudonym of Swedish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen. He has self-released four albums of music in his native Sweden. His first major release came in February, 2007 in the U.S. when Sub Pop re-issued his album Loney, Noir.-History:Emil Svanängen...
- Love is AllLove is AllLove Is All is a five-piece indie pop band from Gothenburg, Sweden. It releases songs in English. Paste Magazine has stated that it makes "infectiously lo-fi punk rock laced with saxophone and melodic vocals".-Biography:...
- Lykke LiLykke LiLi Lykke Timotej Zachrisson , better known by her stage name Lykke Li , is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Her music often blends elements of pop, indie rock and electronic; various instruments can also be found in her songs, including violins, synthesizers, tambourines, trumpets, saxophones and cellos...
- Marching BandMarching Band (band)Marching Band is a musical duo consisting of Erik Sunbring and Jacob Lind from Linköping, Sweden. Marching Band combines eccentric musical elements with mainstay rock sounds, creating a sonic fusion that finds instrumentation of marimba, banjo and vibraphone meshing with guitars, bass, drums and...
- Melody ClubMelody ClubMelody Club is a Swedish pop/synth rock band from Växjö formed in January 2000. Their break-through came in 2002 with the song Palace Station, which was also a big success in Germany. The band has frequent radio airplay in Sweden, Germany, Japan, Norway and Denmark.Melody Club's style can be...
- Napoleon
- Oh LauraOh LauraOh Laura, formerly known as Laura, is a Swedish Indie-pop band from Stockholm consisting of Frida Öhrn on vocals, Jocke Olovsson and Jörgen Kjellgren on guitars, Rikard Lidhamn on bass and Magnus Olsson on drums. The band's debut record, A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed, was released on May...
- Pacific!Pacific!Pacific is a Swedish musical duo from Gothenburg consisting of Daniel Högberg and Björn Synneby playing electro.-Singles:*Break Your Social System *Sunset Blvd *Hot Lips *Number One *Narcissus...
- Peter Bjorn & John
- Raymond & MariaRaymond & MariaRaymond & Maria is a Swedish pop group. It was started in 2002 by the male members of the band: Johan, Staffan, Olle and Per. As singers they found Maria and her sister Camilla. The first single from the band was Ingen vill veta var du köpt din tröja in 2004...
- The Radio Dept
- Samuraj Cities
- Shout Out LoudsShout Out LoudsShout Out Louds are an indie rock band from Stockholm, Sweden.The group has toured with bands such as The Strokes, Kings of Leon, The Magic Numbers, The Rosebuds, The Essex Green, and Johnossi...
- Gustaf SpetzGustaf SpetzGustaf Spetz is a Swedish singer. His debut album Good Night Mr Spetz was officially released on January 28, 2009. Gustav Spetz describes his music as "A Ted Gärdestad on drugs that has listened to much to the Beach Boys and Beatles.”...
- Suburban Kids With Biblical NamesSuburban Kids With Biblical NamesSuburban Kids with Biblical Names is a Swedish twee pop band consisting of Johan Hedberg and Peter Gunnarson. The band was formed in December 2003, in Haninge. Their name comes from a lyric in the song "People" by the Silver Jews.-History:...
- Peter Von PoehlPeter von PoehlPeter von Poehl is a Swedish singer-songwriter, composer, musician and director.He was the guitarist for A.S. Dragon, once the backing band for Bertrand Burgalat and in Michel Houellebecq's album Présence humaine...
- Jenny Wilson
- Broder DanielBroder DanielBroder Daniel was an alternative rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden. They formed in the late 1980s and then consisted of classmates Henrik Berggren and Daniel Gilbert...
- bob hundBob hundbob hund is a seven-piece indie rock band from Sweden. Their music, hard to classify, has been described as "what you might expect if you managed to merge Pere Ubu and Pixies with a touch of Kraftwerk"....
- Ingenting
- Sonjagon
- Syket
- Franke
- Stina NordenstamStina NordenstamStina Nordenstam is a singer, songwriter and musician.-Career:Nordenstam's voice led to early comparisons with artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Björk. Her early albums, Memories of a Colour and And She Closed Her Eyes were jazz-influenced with elements of alternative rock...
- The Tough AllianceThe Tough AllianceThe Tough Alliance, or TTA, was an electronic pop music duo from Gothenburg, Sweden. The duo first came together in 2003 and consists of childhood friends Henning Fürst and Eric Berglund...
- ceoCeo (Musician)ceo is the solo project of Eric Berglund, previously a member of the Swedish electronic pop duo, The Tough Alliance. In June 2010, ceo released their first studio album, White Magic.-External links:* * * *...