Biography
Blues Pills emerged as an international quartet with a female lead singer, operating out of Sweden and blending vamp-heavy textures drawn from 21st-century neo-psychedelia, metallic blues, retro-soul, and hard rock. Following several early singles and nearly two years of nonstop road work, the outfit secured a deal with Nuclear Blast that yielded their self-titled 2014 debut, which entered the charts. International recognition arrived with Lady in Gold in 2016, after which the band delivered Holy Moly! in 2020. Seeking isolation, the musicians withdrew to the Swedish countryside to capture their fourth album, the emotionally charged Birthday, released in 2024.
Drawn from Sweden, the United States, and France, the retro-flavored blues-hard rock quartet began as a trio in 2011. That year former Radio Moscow rhythm-section members Zack Anderson and Cory Berry, both from Iowa, laid down a demo alongside vocalist Elin Larsson in her hometown of Örebro, Sweden. During a French tour stop, Anderson and Berry encountered 16-year-old guitarist Dorian Sorriaux, whose playing prompted an invitation to join. The newly expanded group issued its debut EP, Bliss, under the name Blues Pills in 2012, taking the moniker from a friend’s blog devoted to 1960s and 1970s music. Later that year the single “Black Smoke” appeared, and 2013 brought performances at Roadburn in Tilburg, Netherlands, and DesertFest in Berlin. A concurrent German tour drew the attention of Nuclear Blast representatives, resulting in a recording contract.
The label’s first Blues Pills release, the Don Alsterberg-produced Devil Man EP, surfaced in October; Alsterberg had previously worked with Swedish rock acts Horisont and Graveyard. Although Larsson cited Big Mama Thornton, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin as vocal influences, reviewers likened the band’s overall sound to Big Brother & the Holding Company, Led Zeppelin, and Free. Retaining Alsterberg, the group tracked its self-titled debut long-player in warm, all-analog sessions that underscored its retro character. Issued in July 2014, Blues Pills reached the German Top Five and charted in Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where it peaked at number four on the Hard Rock albums chart.
After extensive European touring, Berry departed and André Kvarnström took over on drums. The Freak Valley Festival performance was released as Blues Pills Live. Returning to the studio late in the year, the band announced Lady in Gold in April 2016; its title track followed as a single in May. The soulful, again Alsterberg-produced album arrived in August amid a European tour and topped the U.S. Hard Rock albums chart. In October the quartet played a sold-out show at Paris’s Le Trianon, captured for the 2017 release Lady in Gold: Live in Paris.
Sorriaux exited amicably in 2018, prompting a brief hiatus during which the remaining members constructed Lindbacka Sounds, an analog-equipped studio inside a former factory in rural Närke, Sweden. Fatigue from global touring prompted a return to fundamentals, and the emotional peaks and valleys of recent years shaped a more autobiographical set of songs. Larsson, Anderson, and Kvarnström wrote and recorded initial tracks as a trio, with Anderson handling both bass and guitar. By fall, social-media posts confirmed the addition of bassist Kristoffer Schander, while Anderson assumed the guitar position full-time.
Marking International Women’s Day in March 2020, Blues Pills issued the anthemic “Proud Woman,” which registered on European streaming and radio charts. “Low Road” followed in April, previewing the straightforward, blues-based hard-rock approach of the forthcoming album. Self-produced and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Andrew Scheps, Holy Moly! appeared in August. For their fourth album the musicians retreated to the Swedish countryside with producer Freddy Alexander. Lead vocalist Elin Larsson’s pregnancy, discovered during the sessions, infused the project with previously uncharted emotional depth. The resulting Birthday emerged in mid-2024.
Drawn from Sweden, the United States, and France, the retro-flavored blues-hard rock quartet began as a trio in 2011. That year former Radio Moscow rhythm-section members Zack Anderson and Cory Berry, both from Iowa, laid down a demo alongside vocalist Elin Larsson in her hometown of Örebro, Sweden. During a French tour stop, Anderson and Berry encountered 16-year-old guitarist Dorian Sorriaux, whose playing prompted an invitation to join. The newly expanded group issued its debut EP, Bliss, under the name Blues Pills in 2012, taking the moniker from a friend’s blog devoted to 1960s and 1970s music. Later that year the single “Black Smoke” appeared, and 2013 brought performances at Roadburn in Tilburg, Netherlands, and DesertFest in Berlin. A concurrent German tour drew the attention of Nuclear Blast representatives, resulting in a recording contract.
The label’s first Blues Pills release, the Don Alsterberg-produced Devil Man EP, surfaced in October; Alsterberg had previously worked with Swedish rock acts Horisont and Graveyard. Although Larsson cited Big Mama Thornton, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin as vocal influences, reviewers likened the band’s overall sound to Big Brother & the Holding Company, Led Zeppelin, and Free. Retaining Alsterberg, the group tracked its self-titled debut long-player in warm, all-analog sessions that underscored its retro character. Issued in July 2014, Blues Pills reached the German Top Five and charted in Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where it peaked at number four on the Hard Rock albums chart.
After extensive European touring, Berry departed and André Kvarnström took over on drums. The Freak Valley Festival performance was released as Blues Pills Live. Returning to the studio late in the year, the band announced Lady in Gold in April 2016; its title track followed as a single in May. The soulful, again Alsterberg-produced album arrived in August amid a European tour and topped the U.S. Hard Rock albums chart. In October the quartet played a sold-out show at Paris’s Le Trianon, captured for the 2017 release Lady in Gold: Live in Paris.
Sorriaux exited amicably in 2018, prompting a brief hiatus during which the remaining members constructed Lindbacka Sounds, an analog-equipped studio inside a former factory in rural Närke, Sweden. Fatigue from global touring prompted a return to fundamentals, and the emotional peaks and valleys of recent years shaped a more autobiographical set of songs. Larsson, Anderson, and Kvarnström wrote and recorded initial tracks as a trio, with Anderson handling both bass and guitar. By fall, social-media posts confirmed the addition of bassist Kristoffer Schander, while Anderson assumed the guitar position full-time.
Marking International Women’s Day in March 2020, Blues Pills issued the anthemic “Proud Woman,” which registered on European streaming and radio charts. “Low Road” followed in April, previewing the straightforward, blues-based hard-rock approach of the forthcoming album. Self-produced and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Andrew Scheps, Holy Moly! appeared in August. For their fourth album the musicians retreated to the Swedish countryside with producer Freddy Alexander. Lead vocalist Elin Larsson’s pregnancy, discovered during the sessions, infused the project with previously uncharted emotional depth. The resulting Birthday emerged in mid-2024.
Albums
Singles
