Peter Bjorn and John are a Swedish indie pop/rock band formed in Stockholm in 1999, named after the first names of the band's members: Peter Morén (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Björn Yttling (bass, keyboards, vocals) and John Eriksson, known in his solo work as Hortlax Cobra (drums, percussion, vocals). Yttling also worked as producer for the band's first four albums.
Peter Bjorn and John | |
|---|---|
 Peter Bjorn and John performing in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | P,B & J |
| Origin | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels |
|
| Members | |
| Website | peterbjornandjohn |
Their 2006 single "Young Folks", which featured Victoria Bergsman, formerly of the Concretes, was a top 20 hit in the UK Singles Chart, and was featured in the football video game FIFA 08, the baseball video game MLB 2K13, the singing game Lips, as the school project in the film Bandslam, as part of the soundtrack of sitcom How I Met Your Mother, the opening track in the pilot episode of Gossip Girl, the theme tune to British Television adverts for Homebase store, and in the Air New Zealand "Safety Safari" surfing video. It was also named NME's second-best track of 2006, beaten by "Over and Over" by Hot Chip.[2] In Australia, it was voted number 16 in the annual Triple J Hottest 100 for 2006. In recent years, Lars Skoglund of the band Laakso has filled in for Eriksson on drums and played bongos during some live shows since the latter developed tinnitus, and incurred a shoulder injury on the tour for 2011's Gimme Some.[3]
History
editFormation: 1997–2000
editMorén and Yttling began playing music with each other while in school. They shared an interest in bands such as The Stone Roses and Ride,[citation needed] and would draw inspiration from acts they heard on the radio while growing up, including Depeche Mode, Fleetwood Mac and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).[4] They are also influenced by, but not interested in replicating, classic '60s baroque pop, power pop and new wave.[5] Their first band Piggy In The Middle released the album Images & Distorted Facts in 1997[6] before disbanding after Morén and Yttling moved to Stockholm, whereupon they met Eriksson in 1999. Their first gig as Peter Bjorn and John was an unsuccessful one aboard a boat in Stockholm; their expectations were not high from the start, as they "just wanted to make good music for [their] own amusement".[7]
First years: 2001–2005
editAfter releasing the Forbidden Chords EP and the singles "Failing and Passing" and "I Don't Know What I Want Us to Do", the band released its self-titled first album in 2002 on the tiny Beat That! label. After more shows, the EPs People They Know and 100m of Hurdles, and the "See Through" single, the group jumped to the Planekonomi label in 2004 and released the Beats, Traps, and Backgrounds EP. It was soon followed by the 2004 album Falling Out, which was picked up for American release by Hidden Adenda in late 2005.[8]
Mainstream success: 2006–2011
editThe band's third album, Writer's Block (2006), became a minor international hit. The video to their song "Young Folks" was animated and directed by Ted Malmros of the Swedish indie pop band Shout Out Louds.[9]
After completing various tours in support of Writer's Block, the band focused on other projects before coming together to record and release a largely instrumental album, Seaside Rock, in the autumn of 2008. Living Thing, the band's darker, more experimental fourth full-length album, was released several months later in early 2009. Peter Bjorn and John played Lollapalooza 2009 in Chicago.[10] In 2011, Peter Bjorn and John returned to their melodic pop roots with the decidedly more accessible Gimme Some. The band also opened up for Depeche Mode during their Tour of the Universe.[8] Gimme Some's second single "Second Chance" is heard prominently in advertising for the American light beer Bud Light and as the theme song for the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls.
Recent years: 2012–present
editThe three band members are founding members of the Swedish artist collective and record label INGRID, founded in 2012; the collective's first compilation, Ingrid Volym 1, was released on Record Store Day 2012.
In March 2014, the band revealed that work had commenced on their seventh album, but that they had been beset with creative setbacks.[11]
In April 2015, they released their first new music in four years, the one-off single "High Up (Take Me to the Top)", on INGRID Volym 2, a Record Store Day-exclusive double-LP, limited to 500 copies.[12] In July 2015, the band debuted two new songs on NPR.[13]
On 11 March 2016, they announced their forthcoming LP, Breakin' Point, along with the promotional single "What You Talking About?",[14] which Rolling Stone called "an infectious slice of synth-heavy indie pop." The album was released on 10 June 2016.[15] Bearing the same name as the album, the album's first lead single "Breakin' Point" was released on 24 March 2016, after being premiered by Zane Lowe on Apple's Beats 1 Radio as the World Record.
In August 2018, the band announced the upcoming release of their eighth album, Darker Days, which was released on 19 October 2018.[16]
On 22 February 2019, the band released EPBJ, a follow-up EP to Darker Days, featuring three new songs recorded during the Darker Days sessions that "showcase a softer and more introspective side of the band."[17] The band also released audio of a live, three-song studio session recorded at INGRID Studios in Stockholm.
On 18 October 2019, the band announced their ninth studio album, Endless Dream, and released the single "Rusty Nail". The album was released on 13 March 2020.[18]
Collaborations and solo work
editPeter, Bjorn and John also collaborated with Canadian-born actor and rapper Drake on his 2009 mixtape, So Far Gone, on the song "Let's Call It Off." Many rappers like Wale, GZA and 88-Keys collaborated on Re-Living Thing, a remix album of Living Thing, released on 8 September 2009 by Mick Boogie.
Peter Morén has released four solo albums and one as a duo. On 8 April 2008, he released a solo album in English, The Last Tycoon, on the Wichita Recordings and Quarterstick Records labels.[19][20][21] In 2010, he released a solo album in Swedish, I Spåren Av Tåren. In 2012, he released the more political Pyramiden, influenced by modern indie, new wave, and the formation of the artistic collective INGRID, of which he is a founding member. He released his fourth solo album, 40, in 2017. In 2019, he released a collaborative album with Swedish pop songwriter David Shutrick called En Åldrande Befolkning,[22] which was released first as an EP, then later expanded to album-length and re-released as a LP later that year.[23]
Björn Yttling has previously worked on jazz music, and as a member of INGRID, he has collaborated in bands such as Smile, as well as pursuing his solo work as Yttling Jazz.
John Eriksson, having previously released three EPs under the name Hortlax Cobra, has continued to work under that name, releasing experimental electronic music. A member of INGRID, his first album, Night Shift, was released on the collective's record label in 2012. His second album, 1984, was released in 2012.[24] In 2017, he released his third album Lightworks.[25] He is also a member of the INGRID project Starlight Serenaders.
The group collaborated with producer Claptone, providing vocals on the track "Puppet Theatre". The song is the first single from the album Charmer, released in October 2015.[26]
Members
edit- Peter Morén - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Björn Yttling - bass, keyboards, percussion, vocals
- John Eriksson - drums, percussion, vocals
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE [27] |
BEL (FL) [28] |
IRL [29] |
UK [30] |
US Indie [31] |
US [31] | ||
| Peter Bjorn and John | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Falling Out |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Writer's Block | — | 90 | 26 | 68 | 14 | 155 | |
| Seaside Rock |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Living Thing |
|
— | — | — | 162 | 7 | 92 |
| Gimme Some |
|
49 | — | — | — | 20 | 109 |
| Breakin' Point |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Darker Days |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Endless Dream |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
EPs
edit| Year | EP | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| SWE[27] | ||
| 2001 | Forbidden Chords | — |
| 2003 | 100 m of Hurdles | — |
| 2003 | (I Just Wanna) See Through/Say Something Else (with Spearmint) | — |
| 2004 | Beats Traps and Backgrounds | 45 |
| 2006 | Young Folks The Remixes | — |
| 2009 | It Don't Move Me | — |
| 2016 | Dominos | — |
| 2019 | EPBJ | — |
| INGRID Live Session | — | |
| 2020 | Endless Play | — |
Singles
edit| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [39] |
BEL (FL) [28] |
BEL (WA) [40] |
CAN [41] |
FIN [42] |
GER [43] |
IRE [29] |
JPN [44] |
NED [45] |
UK [30] |
US [46] |
US Alt [46] |
US Dance [46] | |||
| 2002 | "Failing and Passing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Peter Bjorn and John |
| 2002 | "I Don't Know What I Want Us To Do" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2003 | "People They Know" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2005 | "Teen Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Falling Out |
| "Tailormade" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Young Folks" | 42 | 52 | 57 | 27 | 9 | 31 | 24 | — | 75 | 13 | 110[A] | 22 | 19 | Writer's Block |
| "Let's Call It Off" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 130 | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | "Objects of My Affection" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2009 | "Nothing to Worry About" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | 139 | — | — | — | Living Thing |
| "Lay It Down" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "It Don't Move Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[B] | — | 10 | ||
| 2011 | "Breaker Breaker"[47] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Gimme Some |
| "Second Chance" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Dig a Little Deeper" / "What I Could Do If I Wanted To"[48] |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "May Seem Macabre" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016 | "What You Talking About" | — | —[C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Breakin' Point |
| "Breakin' Point" | — | — | —[D] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018 | "One For The Team" | x | Darker Days | ||||||||||||
| "Gut Feeling" | x | ||||||||||||||
| "Every Other Night" | x | ||||||||||||||
| "Wrapped Around The Axle" | x | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | "Rusty Nail" | x | Endless Dream | ||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||
Other charting songs
edit| Year | Song | US Rock [46] |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Eyes" | 48 | Gimme Some | ||
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart, have not charted yet, or were not released. | |||||
Notes
edit
|
Other contributions
edit- Acoustic 07 (2007, V2 Records)
References
edit- ^ Tim Sendra. "Peter Bjorn and John". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "NME 2006 Poll". NME.com (2006). Retrieved 20 January 2007.
- ^ "Interview with Peter Bjorn and John: Hidden dogmas behind their records". indiespect.ch. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Peter Bjorn And John - Clash Q&A". Clash. 18 March 2009. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Sendra, Tim. "Peter, Bjorn and John: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ "[SOUND AFFECTS] Piggy In The Middle: Fusionmusiker på popjakt – BLASKOTEKET" (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "PBS". Pbsfm.org.au. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ a b "AOL - News, Sports, Weather, Entertainment, Local & Lifestyle". AOL.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Peter Björn and John official website". Peterbjornandjohn.com. 8 February 2007. Last accessed 21 April 2007.
- ^ "Lollapalooza interview". Roxwel.com. August 2009. Archived from the original on 1 February 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ^ Studarus, Laura. "In the Studio: Peter Bjorn and John on Their Next Album | Under the Radar - Music Magazine". Undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Hear Peter Bjorn and John's First Single in Four Years "High Up (Take Me To The Top)" — TRANSVERSO". Transversomedia.com. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Peter Bjorn and John Debut Two New Songs, Hint at New Album on NPR's World Cafe — TRANSVERSO". Transversomedia.com. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ ""What You Talking About?" Peter Bjorn and John Finally Return With New Single, Album Announcement — TRANSVERSO". Transversomedia.com. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Peter, Bjorn and John Profile – The Trio Reclaimed Their Sound on 'Breakin' Point'". Esquire.com. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ Sam Sodomsky (8 August 2018). "Peter Bjorn and John Announce New Album and Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ Ana Yglesias (15 January 2019). "Peter Bjorn And John Announce Round Two North American Tour, New EP". Grammy.com. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ Peter Bjorn and John (18 October 2019). "Peter Bjorn and John on Twitter: We celebrate our 20-year anniversary in 2020 with the release of our ninth full-length studio album – Endless Dream – due out March 13th via INGRID. The first single "Rusty Nail" is out now! #rustynail #endlessdream". Twitter.com. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ Marc Hawthorne (7 April 2008). "Social Competence by Peter Moren". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "The Last Tycoon - Peter Morén - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ "Pitchfork: Peter Moren's "The Last Tycoon" Tracklist Revealed". Pitchforkmedia.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ Bat For Lashes - The Boys of Summer (Live at EartH, London; Aloha, Son Little-; Hotspot, Pet Shop Boys-. "Peter Morén och David Shutrick - En åldrande befolkning". NÖJESGUIDEN (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ Camp, Zoe (14 December 2012). "Hortlax Cobra – 1984 | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ Zimmerman, Lee (8 May 2017). "Hortlax Cobra: Lightworks :: Music :: Reviews :: Hortlax Cobra :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "Claptone Announces Debut Album 'Charmer,' Premieres First Track 'Puppet Theatre' (Exclusive)". Billboard.com. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Discography Peter Bjorn and John". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ a b c "Discografie Peter Bjorn and John". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Irish Charts". Irishcharts.com.
- ^ a b Peak chart positions for albums and singles in the United Kingdom:
- Writer's Block album: "Peter Bjorn and John - Official Charts Company" (select "Albums" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- Young Folks single: "Peter Bjorn and John featuring Bergsman - Official Charts Company" (select "Singles" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- Let's Call It Off single: Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2006 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2006". zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- Living Thing album and Nothing to Worry About single: Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK – 2009 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2009". zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ a b For Writer's Block: "Writer's Block - Peter Bjorn and John : Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2013. For Living Thing: "Living Thing - Peter Bjorn and John : Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Peter Bjorn and John - MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 10 YEARS SINCE FIRST ALBUM!! ETC!!Peter Bjorn and John". peterbjornandjohn.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Peter Bjorn and John - Peter Bjorn and John - Releases - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Falling Out - Peter Bjorn and John - Releases - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Writer's Block - Peter Bjorn and John - Releases - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Seaside Rock - Peter Bjorn and John - Releases - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Living Thing - Peter Bjorn and John - Releases - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Gimme Some - Peter Bjorn and John - Releases - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Australian Charts". Australiancharts.com.
- ^ a b "Discografie Peter Bjorn and John Wallonie". Ultratop. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "Billboard Canada". Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Discography Peter Bjorn And John". Finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ "German Charts". Germancharts.de.
- ^ "Peter Bjorn and John Album & Song Chart History". Japan Hot 100 for Peter Bjorn and John. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ "Megacharts". Dutchcharts.nl.
- ^ a b c d e f "Billboard Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ Brian Hodge. "Peter Bjorn and John – "Breaker Breaker"". potholesinmyblog.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ "RECORD STORE DAY - SpecialRelease". Recordstoreday.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2018.