Red Sleeping Beauty

Swedish indie pop group Red Sleeping Beauty built a loyal following during the first half of the 1990s through a string of well-received singles and EPs plus two studio albums issued on boutique labels scattered across several countries, among them Marshmarigold, Siesta, Grimsey and Motorway. The quartet dissolved at the close of the decade, only to reconvene unexpectedly in the mid-2010s, first with the 2016 comeback set Kristina and then with the more electronic, streamlined Stockholm three years later.

The band originated in Stockholm in 1989 when singer Kristina Borg, singer-guitarist Niklas Angergård, guitarist Mikael Matsson of the Shermans and bassist Carl Johan Näsström joined forces. Their recorded debut arrived in early 1993 via the Marshmarigold EP Pop Sounds; twelve months afterward they placed “Seasons Change” with the U.S. imprint Somersault and the Top of the Pops EP with Japan’s Motorway. Label peregrinations continued in 1995 with the Sunday release of the Smile EP in America and the three-song Wealth of Information on Spain’s Siesta. Returning to Marshmarigold, the quartet delivered its first long-player, Bedroom, before the year ended. Following the 1997 Siesta album Soundtrack the group split; Siesta later assembled the 2000 compilation Singles. Angergård devoted himself to Acid House Kings while Matsson joined the Charade.

Minus Näsström, the remaining trio resurfaced in 2014 with a cover of the Alpaca Sports track “Just for Fun” and the seasonal “Merry Christmas, Marie.” The reunion gathered momentum via the 2015 Shelflife single “Always” and a warmly received set at Madrid Popfest the following year. Also in 2016 the three musicians issued Kristina on Shelflife, their first full-length in nineteen years, retaining the group’s customary melodic gentleness while adopting a contemporary production approach. Firmly active once more, Red Sleeping Beauty moved to the Matinée roster and completed their return with the synth-oriented 2019 album Stockholm.