Sweden has always been a hotbed for pop music. ABBA dominated the world in the 1970s and 1980s; Roxette in the early 1990s and The Cardigans in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Recently there has been a revival in quality Swedish pop thanks to Robyn, Miike Snow, The Knife, Lykke Li and Avicii. These artists have once again put Sweden back on the musical map. Now there is a new band that has thrown their hat into the ring; hoping to join this pantheon are Seaside Heights.
Forming in Gothenburg in the summer of 2012 this indie pop quintet has taken the country by storm. Recently winning a poll of the most exciting unsigned act on P3 (Sweden’s Radio 1) they are gearing up to make 2015 a year to remember. This starts with their debut single ‘Turnover.’
Swaths of synth wash over you as a piano slowly builds a euphoric mood. The vocals then enter the mix. Sounding like a Brandon Flowers from ‘Tom’s Diner’ era, the lyrics are packed with emotion and poignancy. From opening line, “You run from the tears you cry/Somehow you’ll make it by” and the lyrical delivery, you realise that these aren’t just words; they’ve lived through it and mean every single word. The chorus is simple but effective – “Even if it’s hard there is a turnover coming in fast/If there’s a million cars stuck in traffic it will pass”. The middle-eight is reminiscent of Coldplay at their most anthemic as piano and guitar eventually explode into another chorus. Later the lines “Things are not as you thought/They would be but here we are” are sung with a tenderness often missing from modern indie pop.
Sounding like a mixture of Bombay Bicycle Club, The Killers and The National, but the with pop hooks of Avicii, this is brave grandiose pop. While it is laced with melancholy there is also optimism. Things might be bad, but they’ll get better. Don’t give up and turn over a new leaf is the message.
There are rumours that there is an album in the not too distant future. If this debut single is anything to go by Seaside Heights have all the hallmarks of a classic indie pop band in the making and have every chance of joining the list of Swedish musical luminaries.
