They Live by Night

Christofer Byström, Martin Andersson and Joel Sjöö are They Live by Night, a pop group from Göteborg, Sweden. After a stream of national radio hits the trio got some well deserved recognition this January, when they won the Swedish Grammy for best video (for Catching Up). Over 160 000 votes were counted, and They Live by Night won the award in competition with such acts as I’m From Barcelona and Mando Diao.



The They Live by Night sound has been compared to swedish peers such as The Tough Alliance and Shout Out Louds, but their self-coined term “indie-ABBA” is probably even more spot on. The vocal harmonies and intricate yet direct songwriting makes you think these guys could well be the lost sons of Björn and Benny, raised listening to The Beach Boys and early disco. The danceable beats and happy melodies are contrasted by lyrics that deal with angst, love and loss.



They Live by Night started as a quartet in the fall of 2004. Their first demo got them a deal with Swedens leading indie label Razzia Records (Hello Saferide, Firefox AK, Maia Hirasawa). The first release was the Truth or Dare Ep (2005) which was also released in Germany by Decoder Records and supported by a German tour.



In the summer of 2007, shortly after the release of the indie-rocking debut album Art and Wealth, Robin Danielsson left the group and They Live by Night decided to split up. In the beginning of 2008 they reunited as a trio, with a brand new pop sound. The second, self-titled album was released in Scandinavia in october, with the singles Endless Summer, Catching Up and Ctrl+Alt+Del My Heart becoming hits on the Swedish dancefloors, music TV channels and radio stations. The band has played a long list of live shows in Sweden, including opening for acts like Fall Out Boy and The Editors.



This fall They Live by Night will tour Europe, expanded into a six-piece pop orchestra.