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In Review

01 December 2008 21:08 BST

The Sounds: Dying to Say This to You

Korova, out March 19th.

In a nutshell…

According to drummer Fredrik Nilsson: Energetic, useful (?) and really, really good

According to us: Sexy Swedish synth

What's it all about?

Speaking to InTheNews, Fredrik, who plays drums and synthesisers on Dying to Say This to You, says the Sounds' follow-up to the critically lapped-up Living in America, is all about "growing". The quintet from Helsingborg have matured since their 2002 debut, he says, and the result is a pulsating pick of nasty beats and sticky lyrics that should send them to the next level as a group.

The album was produced by Jeff Saltzman of the Killers' fame and there's a glorious Hot Fuss feel on the record. Ego, a standout track, has an intro that transports you right back to the summer of 2004 with Brandon Flowers in his pomp while the angry Painted by Numbers draws you in and spits you right back out covered in Sounds' saliva. But, according to Fredrik, "the important thing is that Jeff really wanted to work with us, which is better than just getting a big name on board for the sake of it". So are the band pleased with the end product? "Definitely."

But it is the tub-thumping Tony the Beat that many will buy this album for after Rolling Stone magazine voted it as one of the top 50 songs of last year. It oozes sex appeal and has an addictive foot-tapping beat which has found its way to the clubs where all the beautiful people hang out on both sides of the Atlantic. And with the delectable New York It girl Leigh Lezark gracing the album cover it's clear The Sounds can call on a lofty fanbase to promote their sound. Is it the best song on the album? "It's one of the best. It's nice that it got a good reaction but we knew it was going to really."

Who's it by?

The Sounds formed in 1999 in a Swedish city barely known outside the country for anything other than its moderately successful football team. Felix Rodriguez (guitar) and Johan Bengtsson (bass) got the ball rolling, were joined by Fredrik and Maja Ivarsson and then recruited Jesper Anderberg on keyboards.

Living in America was released in 2002 and gained the band success at home and in the US but it was the group's incessant touring and raucous live acts that helped them establish a core group of fans.

Fox-like lead singer Maja's sultry, stalking ways and gravelly tones in fronting a new-wave band have inevitably led to similarities with Debbie Harry's Blondie and not without some justification. "I think that's quite a visual thing," Fredrik says. "It's a good band to be compared with but it is quite a lazy comparison." Either way, Maja was voted one of the hottest women in rock n roll by Blender magazine alongside such luminaries as Courtney Love and PJ Harvey and can own the stage when she's on fire.

As an example

"Hey, let's kick it/ Stop, just lick it/ let you start it/ 'cause 'cause it's so easy/ you like it my way/ and I know it/ so let's do it/ do it do it real good." (Tony the Beat)

"I've been dying to say this to you/ And I don't know what else to do/ I've seen your f***ing attitude/ Well I´ve been doing someone that you know/ It's not a secret to anymore/ 'Cause I've seen you blowing around my fame." (Ego)

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

The Sounds have got little more than a clutch of Swedish best newcomer awards from their early days to show for almost eight years of being tirelessly on the road. But if they win over many more high-profile fans (Britney Spears is apparently a convert during time off from rehab, while the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl gave the band some free advertising by wearing their T-shirt) then they may just pick up a head of steam on the back of this record.

What the others say

"The highlight of the quintet's second LP is future hit Tony The Beat - think CSS getting hammered with The Knife and soundtracking an aerobics video circa 1984. If ever there was a reason for a band to exist, it's the joy of this absolute tune." – NME

"These Swedes mix Blondie-style cool with a streamlined punk rush and the throaty wail of frontwoman Maja Ivarsson. On their second album, cuts like Ego and 24 Hours offer heartfelt romance and arena-ready choruses, but Dying to Say This to You often sounds like stale glam-pop fandom." – Rolling Stone

So is it any good?

The Sounds are in danger of being defined by two things – their nationality and their latest single. Almost every time the band is mentioned the fact that they hail from the land of Abba and meatballs is inevitably given heavy weight. Fredrik seems unperturbed, though, as "we're still here after a lot of Swedish bands came on the scene a few years ago". Indeed, the band's apparent indefatigability when it comes to touring – they performed live more than 200 times last year alone – around the states means "we're now sometimes seen as an American band as we spend so much time there".

The energy they take to the stage is only marginally diluted in the studio and Maja – "I think if people have paid money to see us then I'd better put on a f***ing show" – comes across like the brooding rock chick she so almost is.

Tony the Beat is great song. No doubt. It is punk-disco at its best and leaves you thirsting for more. Ego, the tormented Night After Night and the Killers-esque Painted by Numbers are only just behind but there may not be quite enough to keep those pulled in by the single's hooks hooked.

Maja and the boys were in the midst of a European tour as the single hit the shelves in the UK, had just played in Birmingham and were setting their stall out for their fifth major London show this year. Apparently it's all going well and the band "always get a good reaction" in Britain. Whether that appeal survives the transfer from the stage to the studio remains to be seen, but the Sounds' infectious brand of lip-gloss wielding synth deserves to live on.

7.5/10

Martin Ashplant