finetune artist: The Sounds

Citing their main influences as Blondie, Duran Duran, Kraftwerk, and Ultravox, it should not come as a surprise that the Swedish synth punk quintet, Sounds, makes the listener feel that they have taken a time machine straight back to the early 80s. Originating from the town of Helsingborg, the band's beginnings go back to the late 90s, when childhood friends Felix Rodriguez (guitar) and Johan Bengtsson (bass) first jammed together. It was not long before fellow high school friend Fredrik Nilsson (drums) enlisted as well, in addition to Jesper Anderberg (synth) and classical horn player turned singer Maja Ivarsson. Even after playing together for several months, the quintet was still nameless, until finally agreeing on the Sounds as their moniker. A recording contract with the New Line label followed soon after, as the quintet travelled to nearby Stockholm to record tracks for what would become their debut (although parts were recorded in Rodriguez's bedroom). In 2003, Living In America was released, which was an immediate hit in Sweden, reaching the Top 5. The first single, "Hit Me!", garnered extensive airplay on radio and MTV. A tour supporting Panic! At The Disco in 2006 gave the band major exposure to a much wider fan base.

Listen to The Sounds at Finetune.

Painted By Numbers
Tony The Beat
Queen Of Apology
Living In America
Song With A Mission

jlaw23 on 2008-05-21 12:05:16.870:
excellent band. they're from sweden btw.
jlaw23 on 2008-05-21 11:51:26.700:
excellent band. they're from sweden btw.
jlaw23 on 2008-05-21 11:51:24.870:
excellent band. they're from sweden btw.
imation on 2007-11-07 23:39:34.263:
I love the sounds! My favorite songs are painted by Numbers, Hit Me, and Queen of Apology. I heard about them because I saw the singer, Maja, in the Bring It(snakes on a plane) video for Cobra Starship. Along with her, there is Gabe Saporta, William Beckett(the academy is...) and Travis Mccoy(gym class heroes) Don't know why I wrote all of that. Just bored, I guess.