Sweden’s indie rock collective The Sounds – comprised of Maja Ivarsson (vocals), Felix Rodriguez (guitars, vocals), Johan Bengtsson (bass), Jesper Anderberg (keys, guitar), and Fredrik Blond (drums) – has been hard at work on new material to supplement the incredible tour they’re about to embark upon. They’re celebrating 10 years since the debut of their sophomore album Dying to Say This to You on the road. In honor of all of this incredible news, we’ve got the exclusive premiere of their new track “Thrill” right here, right now.
Whirring instrumentals, it feels as if you’re in a funnel of upbeat, intense sound. There are some otherworldly elements mixed in, and the percussion brings with it Ivarsson’s gorgeous, ethereal vocals. While lyrics like “I thought it was best to keep moving forward / I am the one standing still” sound more like they reflect the currect political climate in the United States, lines like “I’m on the outside, I’m told to keep my distance/ Cuz you’re on the inside and it’s hard to keep resisting” bring to the forefront the fact that this song is about tumultuous emotions and the “thrill” of the chase. Although, really, it’s both vague enough and obvious enough that our assessment might not be necessary.
What you need to know is it’s catchy, fun, and should be on everyone’s winter playlist.
Blond himself had quite a bit to say about the track.
I wrote the first draft of the song on a Friday or Saturday night, it was summer. I had made plans to meet up with Johan (bass player) for some beers that night but changed my mind when I picked up a guitar and felt something. Sometimes you just feel something and it has to come out… I jumped back and forth between guitar and piano until I was happy with the basic chords and then started to sing.
I wanted it to be a real straightforward and simple song, no fuss, nothing fancy. The first line of the song had come to me a week or so before, in the most literal way, I was drunk and holding a piece of paper in my hand, it slipped through my fingers and although I could see it happening I couldn’t feel my hand losing its grip. And I thought to myself, that’s a pretty good metaphor for a lot of things in my life.
I usually don’t like to discuss the meaning of song lyrics because I like it when people make up their own versions of what they are about. But like I said before, it’s a simple and straightforward song, it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out what it’s about.
Tour Dates
Nov 15 In The Venue Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 16 The Summit Music Hall Denver, CO
Nov 18 Fine Line Music Café Minneapolis, MN
Nov 19 The Rave Milwaukee, WI
Nov 20 Metro Chicago, IL
Nov 22 Warsaw at The Polish National Home Brooklyn, NY
Nov 23 Irving Plaza New York, NY
Nov 25 Union Transfer Philadelphia, PA
Nov 26 Corona Theatre Montreal, QC
Nov 27 Brighton Music Hall Boston, MA
Nov 28 9:30 Club Washington, DC
Nov 29 Mod Club Toronto, ON
Dec 01 Stone Pony Asbury Park, NJ
Dec 02 TBD Nashville, TN
Dec 03 The Masquerade Atlanta, GA
Dec 04 House of Blues New Orleans, LA
Dec 06 Gas Monkey Dallas, TX
Dec 07 Emo’s Austin, TX
Dec 08 TBD Houston, TX
Dec 10 Crescent Ballroom Phoenix, AZ
Dec 11 House of Blues San Diego, CA
Dec 12 Mayan Theatre Los Angeles, CA
Dec 13 The Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA
Dec 15 The Observatory Santa Ana, CA
Dec 16 House of Blues Las Vegas, NV
Dec 18 The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Dec 19 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR
Dec 20 The Showbox Seattle, WA
Keep up with the band here.
