Not long after the release of their second album, 2007’s Our Ill Wills, and months of relentless touring, Sweden’s Shout Out Louds decided to take a six-month break, and its five members—frontman Adam Olenius, bassist Ted Malmros, guitarist Carl Von Arbin, drummer Eric Edman and keyboardist Bebban Stenborg—spread out between Melbourne, Los Angeles and Stockholm. However, despite the distance, it wasn’t long before Olenius was writing new material and sending it out to his bandmates, who all contributed from their remote locations. As a result, the quintet has returned with a fresh, simple sound on third full-length Work (out now on Merge), which the band is currently supporting on a tour of North America and Europe. Shout Out Louds will be guest-editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new Q&A with Olenius and our 2007 feature on the band.
Stenborg: Fashion design as a concept has never really interested me. I’ve always turned to Goodwill and grandma’s attic for clothes and old-lady glove shops for accessories. But having spent the past six months at home, I have found myself forced to rethink my strategy (and my budget, kind of) because there really is no place like Sweden as far as designers go. Semi-small brands like minimarket and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair have completely overthrown my fondness for rattiness, and indie designers like Isabella Idberg (whose dresses actually feel and look sculpted onto your body) have gently and elegantly murdered my inner vintage snob. Don’t get me wrong—I won’t throw away any of my ratty old scooter dresses, and grandma’s old Dior bag will be on my arm until someone cuts it off, but right now, it seems like I’ll be on a porridge-and-water diet this year before I’ll stop shopping Swedish. Rest in peace, Paris and Milan. Stockholm is where it’s all happening.
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJGebyAmiy8
