Crystal Erickson loves Shout Out Louds

By Venus Zine Staff
Published: March 12th, 2010 | 8:30am

I have been in love with Shout Out Louds ever since I heard the Very Loud EP and Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Bud Fox) back in 2005, when I received the discs for review right before their American debut. Shout Out Louds is the kind of band that comes out, punches me in the face, and makes me remember why I love music.

To me, great music should provide a moment of clarity. I have cried many times while listening to Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, because the combination of instrument, lyric, vocals, and meaning are so in tune, so beautiful and true—all at once—that it's overwhelming. Frontman Adam Olenius is heartbreaking and sort of unreal compared to the detached, tight-jeans-wearing rock boys infecting the scene. I love him. Bebban Stenborg is eye-catching, not just for her fashion sense, but for being a Jill-of-all trades, playing keyboard, accordion, glockenspiel, and the Moog synthesizer.

They have all the elements of a real "It" band, with a sound that's classic yet unique. It makes sense that the band hails from Sweden, which is a sort of Mecca for indie pop and rock. Shout Out Louds and fellow Stockholm band Peter Bjorn And Joh n have even worked together on a couple of projects. SOL's bassist, Ted Malmros, produced the video for PB&J's "Young Folks," one of the biggest hits of 2006 (and perhaps the most whistled tune since Guns N' Roses' "Patience"). The following year, Björn Yttling returned the favor, producing SOL's second album, Our Ill Wills.

The band's changed a bit since its Howl Howl Gaff Gaff days. On their recently released third album, Work (Merge), Olenius' songwriting is not as melancholic, and the overall sound is simpler. But the changes are subtle. The second single, "Fall Hard," is classic SOL—sunshine, wit, romance, pain, and optimism—all woven together. When Olenius sings, "I'll pick up the pieces and mistakes," I know he will. He has for years.

Crystal Erickson is a Venus Zine contributor