In the grand tradition of the Cardigans, Ace of Base, Abba, and other former and extant members of the Swedish invasion, the Shout Out Louds are starting to make their mark like Vikings striking out across the great Atlantic. The Stockholm five-piece was born in a self-described “drafty rehearsal space” in 2002, and burst onto the American scene earlier this year with the release of a three-track EP, Very Loud, in February.

There is a bit of lovelorn ‘80s crooning on the Shout Out Louds debut full-length, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, due out on May 24th. The second track off the album, “Very Loud,” sounds like it should be playing in the background of some Molly Ringwald flick; it combines twee emotion with garage-guitar bluster that harkens back to New Wave.

One theme that pervades Howl Howl Gaff Gaff is painful, sometimes overwhelming nostalgia that occasionally borders on the overly sentimental. When the lead singer pleads with his lover to return to him, saying, “Please Please Please Come Back to Me,” you feel a bit like kicking him in his Swedish trousers and telling him to get on with it. But at its finer moments, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff is more like a pretty love letter than a whine fest.

On the same day that Howl Howl Gaff Gaff is released, the Shout Out Louds will be kicking off the American leg of their world tour with a show in Los Angeles, opening for the Dears (see dates below). For more info on the Shout Out Louds, visit www.shoutoutlouds.com

5/24 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
5/25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
5/27 Seattle, WA Crocodile Café
5/30 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
5/31 Denver, CO Climax Lounge
6/02 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck 6/03 Minneapolis, MN Ascot Room @ The Quest
6/04 Chicago, IL Metro
6/05 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
6/06 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
6/11 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
6/12 Boston, MA Paradise
6/14 Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar
6/15 Baltimore, MD Fletcher's
6/16 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
6/17 Nashville, TN Exit/In
6/18 Atlanta, GA The Earl