Club 8

Club 8 are a indie pop duo from Stockholm, Sweden consisting of Karolina Komstedt (from the band Poprace) and Johan Angergård (Acid House Kings, The Legends, Poprace). Formed in 1995, they were immediately signed to the Spanish record label Siesta. They released a single called Me Too and an album called Nouvelle on Siesta before deciding to move on to other labels. The sound at this point could almost be categorised as anorak pop with influences from Sarah bands, Jim Ruiz and The Smiths. In 1998/1999, their 2nd album The Friend I Once Had and the single Missing You was released. Missing You become a club and indie-radio hit in Spain and somewhat of a college radio fave in the US. The band started playing live. Their first gig was in New York at a March Records CMJ event in 1999. Their sound had by now developed into a more bossa nova and dance oriented one. Striving for constant change and improvements the band once again changed musical direction on their 3rd and self titled album in 2001. Club 8 is a beautifully laidback album. Almost a chill out album, though it was more compared to Portishead and Air and called a Trip-hop album at its release. In the autumn of 2001, the band locked themselves in the famous Summersound Studios; writing songs and experimenting with different sounds. Dub, C-86, triphop, chill out, 80's and bossa nova are all mixed up here, but without ever losing focus on those wonderfully Scandinavian and melancholic pop melodies. The album was named Spring Came, Rain Fell and was released in the year of 2002. In 2002, Club 8 started working on a follow up for Spring Came, Rain Fell. The result, Strangely Beautiful peaked at no. 18 on the CMJ charts in the US. For the first time since 1999 the band released a single and the video from the album. Backed by 5 exclusive tracks, the song Saturday Night Engine was released as a single in the spring of 2003. The video made no. 16 on the Up North chart on MTV Nordic. In 2007, the duo re-united to record a new album - The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming.