Deportees

A Swedish indie rock quartet formed in 2003 in Umeå, Deportees brought together brothers Peder on vocals and Anders Stenberg on guitar alongside drummer Thomas Hedlund and keyboardist Mattias Lidström. Their sound fused soulful, occasionally funky cinematic pop with rootsy American heartland-inspired country folk-rock. The group’s debut album, All Prayed Up, arrived in 2004 and received a pair of Swedish Grammy nominations. On their 2006 follow-up, Damaged Goods, the quartet reduced the quirky funk that had defined their first release and folded in outlaw-country elements within an already wide-ranging palette. During touring, the band developed a rapport with French indie pop unit Phoenix, leading the latter to share drummer Hedlund while guitarist Stenberg began a collaboration with Lykke Li. The politically charged and critically praised third album, Under the Pavement: The Beach, appeared in 2009 and triggered a major-label bidding war. Their fourth release, Islands & Shores, marked the band’s first Universal outing in 2011; the album attained gold status, secured Deportees’ initial Grammy victory, and earned the National Public Radio Band of the Year award. The Big Sleep, their fifth studio album, followed in 2015.