Last Days of April

Emerging from Stockholm's post-hardcore environment during the mid-1990s, Last Days of April pursued several stylistic evolutions across the following decades while retaining the raw, melodic character of vocalist and principal songwriter Karl Larsson. The self-titled debut of 1997 incorporated angsty emo influences to a comparable extent, whereas Ascend to the Stars in 2002 moved toward a more reflective stance. Having gravitated to a tuneful indie rock approach with reduced abrasiveness throughout the 2000s, the band saw Larsson-produced Gooey adopt a contemplative alternative singer/songwriter orientation in 2010, a direction mirrored by the alternative country-rock release Sea of Clouds five years later. The tenth album, Even the Good Days Are Bad, signaled a reversion to direct indie rock introspection upon its 2021 appearance.

Karl Larsson on vocals and guitar, Lars Taberman on guitar, Andreas Fornell on drums, and Daniel Svenfors on bass formed Last Days of April in 1996. A demo conveying their impassioned style circulated widely within the regional hardcore community, while the singles "Untold" and "Never Apart" expanded their audience and attracted Tim Bertilsson of Trust No One Records. That imprint released the self-titled debut album in 1997. Bad Taste Records followed with The Wedding EP the next year, simultaneously partnering with Japanese outlet Straight Up to issue the Jawbreaker-influenced sophomore effort Rainmaker. Over the ensuing two years the group toured Europe alongside acts such as the Bufferins and the Promise. The 2000 release Angel Youth, produced by Pelle Gunnerfeldt, incorporated harpsichord and string quartet elements amid lingering traces of earlier emo leanings. Recorded with Gunnerfeldt handling bass duties, the sessions featured Larsson and Taberman doubling on assorted instruments alongside Fornell and keyboardists Fredrik Hermansson and Calle Ohlsson. Deep Elm Records subsequently licensed the album for a mid-2001 American release.

Reconvening with Gunnerfeldt, the 2002 fourth album Ascend to the Stars functioned largely as a Larsson solo project, yielding its comparatively pensive rock character. Credited solely to Larsson and Fornell the following year, If You Lose It enlisted guests Mattias Friberg on guitar and Mathias Oldén on bass. Bad Taste reissued the debut album in 2004. Larsson issued the nine-track Pale as Milk under his own name in 2005. Another Gunnerfeldt collaboration, Might as Well Live, arrived in 2007 with the configuration of Larsson on vocals and guitar, Mathias Oldén on bass, and Fredrik Granberg on drums.

Issued by Bad Taste in 2010, the partly home-recorded Gooey was produced entirely by Larsson and reflected a further pivot toward hook-driven, introspective alt-singer/songwriter material. The Lemonheads' Evan Dando and Tegan and Sara's Tegan Quin contributed guest vocals. Larsson delivered the eighth album, 79, in 2012, then presented the alternative country-rock project Sea of Clouds in 2015, marking the band's first outing for Tapete Records. The second Tapete release, Even the Good Days Are Bad, dispensed with twang upon its 2021 arrival. Captured in analog over two days at Studio Gondahl in Stockholm, the sessions employed the rhythm section of Rikard Lindhamn on bass and Magnus Olsson on drums.