This was one of our single cover artworks for a single we had never published – Northern Holly
Formed in the mid-1990s, Sweden was a New York City-based electro-pop trio comprising twin sisters Alexandra and Leja Kress on vocals, guitars, and synths, with Richard Agerbeek on Casio guitar and drum machine. They explored a sound that took the shoegaze fuzz of Spacemen 3 and mixed it with an electro-pop, drum machine-heavy, New Order-like atmosphere. Richard’s voice had an abrasive quality echoing Mark E. Smith’s ruggedness in Manchester’s post-punk heroes, the Fall. Meanwhile, the sisters shared lead vocals and harmonized what sounded like early-80s Bananarama on psychedelics.
The journey started when the three found each other through the downtown art and fashion scenes. They bonded over a shared love of Spectrum, Suicide, Stereolab, and The Smiths—telling themselves the band name must start with an "s" so they could be filed in with their favorite artists. Sweden emerged as a regular fixture of the downtown music scene playing at trendy spots like Coney Island High, Luna Lounge, and CLub Spa. Though they looked like they could have emerged from the clean, electroclash scene that was exploding around them in NYC at the time, the Sweden sound was just too rough around the edges to fit the dance-pop of Fischerspooner. They released a full length called 4-Track Demo in 1999 and in 2004 issued a single twelve-inch of "Shoot Straight" with remixes by DJ Max Pask (from the duo Each Other). They persevered, collaborating on various projects with Tadpoles' lead guitarist Nick Kramer, music producer and Sound of Sinners label owner Paul Parreira. Meanwhile, forming one of the leading creative design agencies in fashion called Sweden Unlimited.
100% Airlume combed and ringspun cotton
Light fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²))
Tear away label
Runs true to size