Drugstore Animal

Anywhere But Here

The Buzzard

Water

Beauty Fades - Part II

With most bands from their home neighborhood of Allston, Massachusetts being somewhat counterculture, you might think Love in Stockholm’s classic rock roots would make them an unlikely standout on their home turf. On the contrary, fans their own age find them hard to ignore, and fans of their parents’ generation welcome a harkening back to the golden age of rock music. If 2010’s A King’s Ransom was a scientific experiment of sorts, 2013’s Hold Back the Sun shows that they’ve refined the formula. Produced by Boston heavy hitter Ed Valauskas (Eli “Paperboy” Reed, The Click Five), LiS makes a twofold statement with this release: they know what they’re good at, and they’re offering something mainstream music is otherwise lacking. Their hometown blog Allston Pudding perhaps put it best: “Not only are they tremendously talented, but they play a brand of music that is engaging even if you don’t know every lyric. Allston may be rock city, but if you can get out of the garage once in a while, Love in Stockholm is one of the tightest bands around.”

Indeed, they’ve built their reputation on the strength of their live show, and keep this in mind when writing new material. At a time when synth pop has made an astounding comeback, it’s hard to be relevant as rock musicians with nothing but instruments, amplifiers, and microphones. But the response they get from their audience is enough to show that they’re doing something that works. And without hesitation, the guys are back in the studio, cooking up big things for the year to come.