Swedish electro rockers to play Revolution

Cynics will claim that Miami’s music scene only has two types of noise—either techno-electronica or reggaeton-hip-hop. Even if the cynics are correct, though, Swedish quintet, The Sounds, will fit in, bringing their new wave, synth-inspired rock ‘n’ roll to Revolution on Sept. 30.

The Sounds originally formed in Helsingborg, Sweden, in 1999 and they released their debut album, Living in America, in the States in 2003. They started getting noticed when Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl wore one of their band t-shirts in the “Times Like These” video in 2003. In 2008, their song “Hurt You” was synced in a Geico commercial.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” drummer Fredrik Nilsson said on being an international band in the United States. “The first couple tours, when you’re a band from out of the country, nobody knows who you are. We never had any radio support…the only way for us to get bigger was to play more shows.”

Their newest effort, Crossing the Rubicon, dropped in June and is led by a strong single, “Nobody Sleeps When I’m Awake.” Marked by the same synthesized keyboards and tinny drums as the previous two records, The Sounds have often garnered comparisons to Blondie, for singer Maja Ivarsson’s riot girl yelps and growls, and occasionally even The Killers, for popularizing synth-rock again for the first time sine 1983.

Having headlined downtown’s now defunct club Studio A in 2006, The Sounds also played West Palm Beach’s Cruzan Amphitheater earlier this summer, opening for No Doubt.

“We’re very excited to come back there,” Nilsson said. “I love the weather.”

Touring in American is different from playing at home, though. “It feels more real over here,” Nilsson said. “In Scandinavia, you play mainly weekends. You don’t go on the road for two months; you play three to four days out of the week. It’s not the same thing.”

Now headlining a U.S. club tour until November, The Sounds hope to bring their party rock to a younger audience.

“Our music is very danceable, mostly upbeat, having-a-good-time music,” Nilsson said. “People tell me they play it at parties and stuff. I think when you’re at college, that’s sort of what you want.”

If You Go

Who: The Sounds

Where: Revolution (200 W. Broward Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale)

When: Wednesday, Sept. 30, doors at 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $17.50