The Sounds

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The Sounds
Background information
Origin	Helsingborg, Scania, Sweden
Genre(s)	Dance Punk, New Wave, Indie rock
Years active	1999–present
Label(s)	New Line
Website	Official website
Members
Maja Ivarsson Felix Rodriguez Johan Bengtsson Jesper Anderberg Fredrik Nilsson

The Sounds are an upbeat New Wave band from Helsingborg, Sweden founded in 1999.

Their musical style is primarily New Wave with punk and pop / electronica influences. Most songs make integrated use of synthesizers, and Maja Ivarsson provides a spunky vocal lead. The group is often compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, The Epoxies and Missing Persons.

Their debut album Living in America was released in 2002, with the follow up Dying to Say This to You on March 21, 2006.

Lead singer Maja Ivarsson was also featured on Cobra Starship's Snakes on a Plane (Bring It), for the film Snakes on a Plane. In addition to Ivarsson's contribution to the Snakes soundtrack, the entire band is featured as track 6, Queen of Apology, remixed by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump.

1 Members
2 History
3 Discography
4 Trivia
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Members

Maja Ivarsson (1979), vocals, guitar
Felix Rodriguez (1979), guitar
Johan Bengtsson (1979), bass
Jesper Anderberg (1981), synthesizer
Fredrik Nilsson (1979), drums

[edit] History

The Sounds were formed when childhood friends Felix Rodriguez and Johan Bengtsson decided to form a group amongst their high school friends, enlisting Fredrik Nilsson as drummer. Maja Ivarsson, formerly a classical horn player, was invited to join as the lead singer. The group met Jesper Anderberg by chance at the Hultsfred Festival. The band's name was decided months later during a trip to London.

Their debut album Living in America was recorded in Stockholm. It earned them several "best newcomer" awards, a Swedish Grammy and a #4 position in the Swedish album charts, as well as establishing the band not only in Sweden but also in the United States. The band has played over 300 gigs since the albums release including participating in the 2004 Warped Tour and have toured with bands such as: the Foo Fighters, The Strokes and Morningwood an more famously Panic! at the Disco.

In the United States, the band has had several TV appearances and magazine articles and has reputedly built up a celebrity fan base that includes Dave Grohl, Pharrell Williams, Quentin Tarantino, Bam Margera, David Desrosiers and Britney Spears. Dave Grohl wore a red Sounds T-shirt in the Foo Fighters' Times Like These video.

The second album, Dying to Say This to You was recorded at Studio 880 in Oakland, California, and produced by Jeff Saltzman (producer of The Killers' Hot Fuss). The band took part in the 2006 Warped Tour playing the main stage. They started the European leg of their tour in September and in October toured with Panic! at the Disco which included dates in London and several other major European cities. Following this tour, The Sounds made another run of the United States, starting with a Myspace secret show in Miami, Florida on Halloween and then stopping at 10 major cities from coast to coast with supporting act Shiny Toy Guns. All together, The Sounds played over 200 shows in 2006, over half of which were in the United States. During the first part of 2007 The Sounds will do another tour of Europe, as well as playing shows in Australia with Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Living in America (November 11, 2002) — #4 Sweden
Dying to Say This to You (March 21, 2006) — #8 Sweden, #1 US Heatseekers, #9 US Top Independent Album, #107 US Billboard 200

[edit] Extended Plays (EPs)

Dying to Say This to You EP
Live EP (May 30, 2006)

[edit] US Singles

Living in America / The S.O.U.N.D.S. (August 2002)
Song with a Mission / Goodbye 70s (January 2006)
Painted By Numbers (2006)
Tony the Beat (2006)

[edit] Swedish Singles

Hit Me!/Fire (2002) - #26 Sweden
Living In America (2002) - #3 Sweden
Seven Days A Week (2003) - #20 Sweden
Dance With Me (2003)
Rock'n Roll (2003) - #27 Sweden
Song with a Mission (2006) - #22 Sweden
Tony the Beat (2006)
Painted By Numbers (2006)

The Sounds singles, minus Rock N' Roll

[edit] Demos

Under My Skin
Bombs Bombs Away (Teenage Battlefield)
Bombs Bombs Away (alt. version)
24 Hour Love
Turn Back The Time (Breathe)
You Will Never See Me Down Again
Come Inside
She Moves
Free, Free, Free*
Like A Lady (demo version)*
Fire (demo version)*
Goodbye Seventies*

[edit] Trivia

Seven Days a Week from the album Living in America was featured on the FIFA 2005 football game for Nintendo GameCube, Sony Playstation 2 and Xbox.
Seven Days A Week was featured in the movie Final Destination 2 along with Rock'n Roll.
Queen of Apology was featured in the movie Final Destination 3. A remix of this track can be found on the soundtrack to the film Snakes on a Plane.
Running Out of Turbo was featured on the episode Free Fall on CSI: Miami.
Rock'n Roll was featured on the compilation Viva La Bands.
Teenage Battlefield was featured in the German movie Big Girls Don't Cry.
Rock'n Roll was featured in the movie Wedding Crashers.
Tony The Beat was voted 43rd best song of the year by Rolling Stone magazine (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/12769472/the_100_best_songs_of_2006/5).
Living in America was in the bmx video Uno by Fly Bikes.
Ego is featured in the DVD New World Disorder 7: Flying High Again by Freeride Entertainment, in Jeff Lenosky's segment.
Maja Ivarsson was named on Blender Magazine's Hottest Women of . . . Rock list for her chaotic stage presence and all around rock n roll hotness. ^[1]
"Tony the Beat" is featured in the movie Music & Lyrics
"Hope You're Happy Now",a track from their self-titled debut disc, contains a guitar riff from a song called "Der Amboss" by 80's New Wave/Romantic band Visage.