It can be hard to break into the U.S. music scene, but Swedish natives Rasmus Flyckt, Tim Formgren, Emil Gustafsson and Jacob Sjöberg are off to a great start.
Better known together as indie pop group Urban Cone, the foursome originally banded up in 2010, along with former member Magnus Folkö. Their debut single, Urban Photograph, came in late 2010 and gained notoriety in 2012 with the release of their first EP, "Our Youth."
According to keyboardist Jacob, the name Urban Cone is actually a direct translation from the Swedish expression "stadskotte," which means "a kid from the city."
Their passion for music really took root during their high-school years and is still evident in the music they release--in fact, debut album (also called "Our Youth") was recorded in Rasmus's living room.
"We met in high school then started rehearsing in Rasmus’s parents' basement every night after school," Emil, a vocalist and bassist, said. "We would watch live DVDs of our favorite bands afterwards. We started dreaming together and it was beautiful."
Although Urban Cone--which is signed by Interscope Records/Universal Sweden--is described as an indie pop group, the new songs the guys are currently working on for their third album are to be influenced by hip-hop and infused with Swedish vocal melodies. Better yet, it's "funky fresh super lazer," guitarist Tim said.
"We mix up old hip-hop beats with hard kicking baselines, add some funky guitar licks and super sweet Swedish vocal melodies and there you have it, Urban Cone," Tim said.
Originally Urban Cone started with various samples, many of which were inspired by fellow Swedish indie pop group Miike Snow's first album. Then the group transitioned to a live sound for its sophomore album.
Now on its junior album, vocalist and keyboardist Rasmus said the group is ready to mix things up.
"It's the best from those two worlds, a little bit of samples and a little bit of live and we feel stronger than ever," Rasmus said of the new sound.
And it's evident in their latest single, "Old School." Starting off with some static, faded "I love you" inserts, "Old School" opens with a keyboard intro and funky snapping noises. Listeners are then given a taste of eclectic electronic beats before being surprised with a retro beat accompanied by Urban Cone's classic "funky guitar licks."
The lyrics in "Old School" talk about taking a relationship old school and bringing back date night and chivalry.
"We got tired of Tinder, so we wrote a song about old-school love," Emil said of the single. "The romantic dream is still alive, let me love you old school baby."
Urban Cone has amassed more than 58,000 followers and nearly 1.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. "Old School" alone has more than 26.3 million streams. The group has collaborated with EDM artists Porter Robinson and John Dahlbäck, as well as fellow Swedish musician Tove Lo.
Other musical inspirations for the group include Bon Iver, Haim, Radiohead, Coldplay, Lana Del Rey, Chance the Rapper, Adele and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jacob said. In fact, Rasmus added that Chance the Rapper would be a "premium first class" collaboration.
Keep an eye out for these guys, as they're on the rise. They've performed all over Sweden and Scandinavia, toured with Tove Lo in Europe and most recently toured the U.S. with label mates Nightly. Next up? New music in the second half of 2017, with their junior album set to release next year.
"We're coming for you and we wanna tour all over the world to say hello to all of you," the guys said. "We love you!"
Check out Urban Cone's music on Soundcloud and Spotify and sign up for their newsletter to keep updated on new releases and other upcoming announcements. You can also follow them on Twitter and Instagram!
