Shout out Louds
Swedish indie pop hopefuls Shout Out Louds were formed in Stockholm by childhood friends Adam Olenius (vocals), Ted Malmros (bass), and Carl von Arbin (guitars) in 2001. Soon after they were joined by Eric Edman (drums) and Bebban Stenborg (vocals, keys) and began writing songs. The first three they wrote formed the basis of their first demo tape. The songs caught the ear of Filip Wilén, the owner of Sweden's Bud Fox Recordings, and he quickly signed them. The group spent 2002 writing more songs and in December recorded four of them for a debut EP, 2003's 100°. The group's high-energy, ultra-melodic sound was in place from the very beginning. The band toured around Sweden and Scandinavia following its release and followed up the EP with two singles, "Hurry Up Let's Go" and "Shut Your Eyes." In October 2003 the group released its first album, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, to great acclaim in Sweden. They band spent 2004 touring, releasing singles ("Please Please Please," "Very Loud/Wish I Was Dead," and the Oh, Sweetheart EP) and getting signed to Capitol in the U.S. The American version of Howl Howl Gaff Gaff was released in May 2005. The album is made up of songs from the Swedish release plus some of the early singles and EP tracks. A tour of the U.S. with indie darlings the Dears and airplay on The OC helped boost the band's profile. Their next album wasn't released until 2007. Our Ill Wills, produced by Björn Yttling, who also worked on Howl, was a much more somber, melancholy record.
~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
