The Mary Onettes Islands

• Puzzles
• Dare
• Once I Was Pretty
• Cry For Love
• The Disappearance Of My Youth
• God Knows I Had Plans
• Symmetry
• Century
• Whatever Saves Me
• Bricks

When your debut album is described as a cross between A-ha and the Jesus & Mary Chain, it’s got to be followed up with something heavy. For Islands, principal singer-songwriter Philip Ekström drew lyrical inspiration from the deaths of close friends and family. But in the middle of recording, the existing songs were stolen, and the band’s backup drive crashed, forcing them to re-record half the album from scratch. Luckily, the Mary Onettes were happier with the resulting songs, which came out with more life and organic instrumentation.

Abstract by Leah Urbom