Loveninjas

The Loveninjas emerged in Sweden as a playful indie pop group with an affinity for danceable sounds, serving as the outlet for Tor Helmstein’s songwriting after he launched the project in 2004. In conversation with Roni Brunn of It’s a Trap!, Helmstein recounted how his father’s death prompted him to begin composing, though he admitted most of those early efforts fell short because emotional themes about love tended to turn overly sentimental. That period proved brief; after reading the novel Shogun, he developed a fascination with Japan and penned the humorous track “Sweet Geisha Love,” an idea that directly led him to form a ninja-inspired ensemble. He quickly assembled the lineup by enlisting roommate Olle, who was still learning keyboards, along with former collaborator Tobbe and guitarist Dennis. During their initial phase the members appeared onstage in themed attire, with Olle wearing a large papier-mâché heart crafted by his mother and Helmstein while the others wore black ninja outfits, though they eventually abandoned the costumes after inadvertently leaving the heart behind in Stuttgart during a tour. Labrador issued the band’s first EP, Keep Your Love, in 2005; a second EP titled I Wanna Be Like Johnny C followed the next autumn and paved the way for their debut full-length, The Secret of the Loveninjas. After devoting much of 2007 to European roadwork, the group returned to recording and offered several new songs through their MySpace page in 2008.