Kent

Amid the mid-1990s surge of indie pop throughout Sweden, Kent rose to become one of the decade’s most prominent domestic acts. The group originated in Eskilstuna in 1990 after singer/songwriter Joakim Berg and lead guitarist Sami Sirvio first connected at school. Soon afterward drummer Markus Mustonen, bassist Martin Skold, and guitarist Martin Roos completed the lineup. Early on the members experimented with several names, briefly performing as Havsanglar before settling on Kent, a common Swedish male name. After circulating demo recordings they secured a deal with BMG Sweden and its RCA imprint. Their debut single, “Nar Dert Blaser Pa Manen,” appeared in 1994 yet attracted little attention. The self-titled debut album followed in April 1995 and initially sold modestly; three further singles were issued, the final one, “Frank,” coming closest to commercial impact. Extensive touring throughout 1995 prompted Martin Roos to depart, after which longtime acquaintance Harri Manty joined on guitar. Released a year after the debut, the follow-up album Verkligen marked a turning point. Lead single “Kram (Sa Nara Far Ingen Ga)” became an immediate success, propelling Verkligen to widespread acclaim. The band shifted direction on this release, tempering the debut’s distortion with more melancholic material reminiscent of Radiohead—an approach they continued while tracking their 1997 third album, Isola. Following Verkligen’s release they again toured extensively, this time selling out every venue and headlining the main stage at Hultsfredsfestivalen, Sweden’s largest rock festival. Departing from their April release pattern, they spent much of spring 1997 in Belgium recording the anticipated fourth album. In February of that year they collected several Grammy Awards, including best video for “Gravitation,” directed by Joakim’s younger brother Adam Berg. The September 1997 single “Om Du Var Har” achieved massive domestic success, driving Isola straight to number one on the Swedish album chart upon its arrival in stores. Another sold-out tour ensued, and long-standing journalistic speculation was realized when an English-language version of Isola appeared. Issued first in Sweden in April 1998 and later that autumn in England, the edition was never intended for the home market yet BMG yielded to overwhelming public demand. Also in 1998 Joakim Berg issued an album with the side project Paus alongside Cardigans guitarist Peter Svensson. While continuing to tour, Berg kept writing new material; the resulting fourth album, Hagnesta Hill, surfaced in 2000. Two years later came Vapen & Ammunition, which sold 500,000 copies across Scandinavia. After a hiatus the band reconvened to record Du & Jag Döden, released in 2005. The winter of 2006–2007 proved bittersweet: Kent announced sessions for Tillbaka Till Samtiden yet proceeded without guitarist Harri Mänty, who had chosen to exit. Tillbaka Till Samtiden reached stores in October 2007.