Laakso

Founded in 2001, the Swedish indie pop outfit Laakso centered on singer and guitarist Markus Krunegård alongside bassist Mikael Fritz, drummer Lars Skoglund, and multi-instrumentalist David Nygård, whose contributions ranged from trombone and trumpet to synthesizer. After Krunegård launched a thriving solo path in the late 2000s, the group’s mid-2000s output stood as its primary body of work. The band entered the studio for its first commercial release in 2003 via the independent imprint Adrian Recordings, issuing the Long Beach EP before unveiling the debut full-length I Miss You, I'm Pregnant. Two years afterward Laakso stepped up to V2 Music for the High Drama EP and the subsequent album My Gods, both appearing in 2005. Although those early major-label efforts registered only modest returns, the 2007 releases Västerbron & Vampires EP and Mother Am I Good Looking? lifted the band higher on the domestic charts and closer to mainstream visibility. Krunegård then pivoted fully to solo work, delivering the Top Ten success Markusevangeliet on V2 Music in 2008, while Skoglund took the drum chair in Moneybrother and Nygård pursued outside ventures such as Pello Revolvers and Vapnet.