Pitchfork

Photo by Kjell B Persson

Long before Swedish pop became a buzz-phrase and folks like Peter Bjorn and John, the Concretes, Shout Out Louds, and I'm From Barcelona were mounting international conquests, Stockholm's Labrador imprint was quietly rolling out consistently excellent releases (as this year's Labrador 100 goes to show) and label chief Johan Angergård was recording exquisite pop with Club 8.

Indeed, Angergård handles production and every single instrument on The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming, Club 8's sixth longplayer, due September 26 in Sweden and November 13 in the U.S. via Labrador. Meanwhile the other half of Club 8, Karolina Komstedt, drapes her lovely vocals over the 12 tracks on this latest collection of indie pop bliss.

UK residents can look forward to The Boy Who via Fortuna Pop! on December 3, while Germany, Austria, and Switzerland get it from Labrador on October 12. Rabid indie pop fans across the Pacific can expect the LP via Avex (in Japan), Magnum (Taiwan), Zoo (Hong Kong), Chili (Korea), Universal (Philippines), Smallroom (Thailand), and Aksara (Indonesia).

Angergård keeps fairly busy-- in addition to running Labrador, he's also in Acid House Kings and fronts the Legends-- but Club 8 have a few, ahem, club dates lined up in Sweden around the album's release.

The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming:

01 Jesus, Walk With Me
02 Whatever You Want
03 Football Kids
04 Hopes and Dreams
05 Everything Goes
06 Heaven
07 When I Come Around
08 Leave the North
09 In the Morning
10 Sometimes
11 Where Birds Don't Fly
12 The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming

In da Club:

09-25 Stockholm, Sweden - Pet Sounds Bar
10-06 Gothenburg, Sweden - Klubb Populär @ Storan
10-13 Malmö, Sweden - It's a Trap @ Debaser
11-02 Stockholm, Sweden - Svenska Musikklubben @ Debaser Medis