Who? Comprised of best friends John Engelbert (guitar/vocals) and Oskar “Ossi” Bonde (drums/vocals), Swedish indie rockers Johnossi landed their first record deal in 2005 after what was only their third live performance. Poised to embark on their first U.S. tour in October alongside Shout Out Louds, Johnossi’s self-titled debut is slated to drop stateside Oct. 9 via the Control Group.
What’s the Deal? Johnossi might only be two men strong, but they don’t sound like it — they sound twice their size, especially when it comes to fiery rockers like “Execution Song” and the greasy, punk-inflected punch of “Man Must Dance.” In spite of their Scandinavian roots, this Swedish duo sounds thoroughly American — often invoking the metal-laced energy of the White Stripes, at times drawing on the bluesy kick and spit of bands like the Black Eyed Snakes and the Black Keys, and occasionally adding just a pinch of alt-country twang to the mix (palpable on tracks like “Family Values”), Johnossi’s sound will ring familiar to most American indie rock fans.
Fun Fact: Johnossi is geeky for video games, and their story has everything to do with them. “A couple of years ago, before Johnossi existed, all we did was playing video games,” John Engelbert tells SPIN.com. “One day our Playstation broke down, and not knowing what to do, we thought it might be fun to play some instruments.
Now Hear This:
Johnossi – “Man Must Dance” DOWNLOAD MP3
Now Watch This:
Johnossi – “Execution Song” WINDOWS MEDIA
On the Web:
Johnossi at MySpace
johnossi.com
Talk: Will “Execution Song” make a killing for Johnossi?
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