More grown-up Sounds to play Blue Note on Wednesday

Next week's show will showcase a more streamlined, mature quintet.

By Tina Casagrand

Published May 7, 2009

The Sounds will play at The Blue Note on May 13 to support their newest album, Crossing the Rubicon - a refreshing return for the Swedish band that hasn't played in the United States since 2007.

The band's U.S. debut, Living in America, arrived on the crest of early 2000s pop punk and they shared airspace with bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hot Hot Heat and the Raveonettes.

The Sounds set themselves apart with precise pop sounds and killer good looks, but popularity came at a price. In the past year, The Sounds struggled with the direction of their career.

"We came to a crossroad and were not happy with support from the label," bassist Johan Bengtsson said. "There was a constant struggle of not getting attention. We wanted to focus on being creative and making good music."

The band fired people who didn't fit in with the organization and set up their own record label.

"When we did that, it was like, 'there's no turning back,'" Bengtsson said.

These changes inspired the title of Crossing the Rubicon, which is set to drop June 2.

Its first single, "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake," offers the same snarl and dance beats that fans expect, but it comes off as more mature. The Sounds instrumentation has always been precise, but the song's arrangement seems more calculated than compositions from when they were "fresh out of high school."

"We're getting better at what we do," Bengtsson said. "On this album, songwriting has stepped up a little bit, lyrics-wise and music-wise."

Such polish and depth might also come from a more careful recording process. Crossing the Rubicon had four different producers working on different tracks instead of just one producer. The Sounds also switched studios, recording in Los Angeles, New York City and Sweden.

"What we felt about that was having different people working on different songs, every song gets as much attention as it deserves," Bengtsson said.

Bengtsson said he's proud of the record and his personal favorite track, "Underground."

Because of the ever-present synth and Maja Ivarsson's sexy pop vocals, reviewers often label The Sounds as "new wave." But their sharp rhythm, stellar guitars and overall swagger reveal a decidedly punk aesthetic.

As Bengtsson explains, it's "hard to describe art to someone else who hasn't seen it or heard it."

Their influences come from an even broader spectrum than their sound, from techno and electronic to country.

"We're five members, we all listen to really different music, and that's what comes together in the studio," Bengtsson said.

Bengtsson is proud of what the band produces.

"A good song is a good song, I don't need to label it like hipster or electro," Bengtsson said. "And it's more than music that influences us. Experiences like being on tour and meeting new people influence us even more than what we listen to."

Songs from the new album have only been played in the U.S. for about two weeks, Bengtsson said.

If past concerts indicate next week's show, audiences can expect a night of high-energy fun.

"You're going to walk home with a smile," Bengtsson said.