Five Swedish bands to grace your ears

By the time you read this, Sweden might have either upset France in the 2026 World Cup and stunned the world, or lost. Maybe lost quite badly. They’re facing France, a team full of apex predators… but as of the time of writing nothing is conclusive. I still believe Sweden can pull it off 🤞

Sweden is a country I have family connections to, and it’s country full of great music. Beyond the huge artists everyone knows like Abba, Robyn, and Avicii, there’s lots of other indie stuff coming out of Sweden that’s worth diving into.

However the match turns out, here are five songs you should check out.

Boko Yout is a four-piece dance punk band led by frontman Paul Adamah. They share some sounds with fellow Swedish group Viagra Boys (also Swedish) combining the fuzzy guitars and sprechgesang of modern post punk with groovy drum beats, hooky songs, and theatrical and charismatic live performances. Their debut album “GUSTO” came out last year and it’s worth checking out.

Les Big Byrd is a psych/Krautrock band that has been around since 2011, but their new album “Ruin Everything” that came out about a month ago has earned them a spot on this list. It’s a great spaced-out album with psychey guitars and a constant steady 4/4 “motorik” beat that puts you in a hypnotic state. If you like Neu!, Can, Minami Deutsch, or KGLW’s Krautrock inspired stuff, you should check these guys out.

If you like female-vocalist driven power pop like Alvvays, Slow Pulp, or Snail Mail, you’ll probably like Girl Scout too! Swedish artists have a long history of doing English-language pop music as good or better than artists from English speaking countries, and Girl Scout is one more to add to your quiver.

They did release a Swedish-language two song EP with the band Terra a year ago, and it might be my favorite of the stuff they’ve put out so far.

For all the dream pop fans out there, Tomma Intet is the band for you. They’re a music collective from Gothenburg, and their music will probably tickle you if you enjoy bands like Beach House, Slowdive, or The Cure. The Swedish lyrics do something extra for me too—when I listen to bands who sing in languages I can’t understand, their music takes on another totally trancelike quality. It lets you abstract on the sound of both the music and the words.

Maybe the newest band on this list. The band’s sound is built around drum machines and samples, and Sylvie’s Head is throwing back to a lot of sounds from the 90s with breakbeats, acid house, and dub rock influences. Listen if you like Primal Scream, The Stone Roses, or the Brian Jonestown Massacre.

For the best intro to the band, just dive into their 2026 record “Everything Is Free.”

From “Waka Waka” to “Wavin’ Flag,” FIFA and its various corporate underwriters have been sponsoring official and unofficial World Cup anthems since at least the 1960s.

What happens when huge amounts of corporate money get funneled into making inoffensive, safe art for mass consumption? Sometimes you get catchy earworms you can’t help but love, and sometimes you get cringeworthy shlock.

My full ranked list of every World Cup song drops this Friday, right here on the ‘Stack. Subscribe now so you don’t miss it!

Thanks for reading this week! I hope you found some new music, and I’ll see you Friday for the deep dive.

-Joey

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