The Similou

In 2003 Joel "Jol" Eriksson and Erik "Plejboy" Niklasson established the Swedish duo Similou, drawing inspiration from a broad spectrum of acts such as Hall & Oates, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Van Halen. Their opening 12-inch, All This Love, appeared in a limited pressing that nevertheless earned strong local support and secured a contract with DNM, which then reissued the track. Once several further singles had emerged, the act’s first album-length project, So Hot Right Now, gathered those earlier recordings for their initial appearance on CD while adding a handful of new pieces. All This Love achieved a third surge of attention in 2006 and was subsequently licensed to Sony’s Direction Records sublabel along with the U.K.’s Backyard Recordings that June.