Thanks to artists like Robyn, Icona Pop, Lykke Li, and Tove Lo, we're grown to associate Swedish musicians with hook-filled electro-pop. Continuing the tradition is Swedish five-piece Urban Cone, a group of young lads who came together in high school and have been growing their sound and their profile ever since. Their latest single "Come Back to Me" is like a three-minute, streamable version of summer, and features a turn from Tove Lo, who also co-wrote the incredibly catchy track.
Having just come off a North American Tour, the band is regrouping to get started on the follow-up to its sophomore album, Polaroid Memories. But before they do that, we stole them for a minute to ask them some of life's big questions.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
Naïve, epic, and fun!
How did your career get started?
We all met in high school. It kinda started out with just Rasmus and Tim jamming out after school and watching documentaries and live videos about super big bands such as Coldplay, Kings of Leon, The Killers. And later the rest of us joined in. We realized that we all shared the same ambitions, dreams, and musical taste, so from there on it was all go.
Where do you hope to be professionally in five years?
We want our own documentary and live video from Glastonbury. Headlining, of course.
What’s your next project?
We're on tour right now through all of America, and right after this one we're going to Australia to play the biggest festival there. It’s called Splendour in the Grass and it has been on our bucket list forever. Right after touring we’re gonna start working on new music.
What are you most proud of so far in terms of your career?
We’re very proud of our new album. It’s the best thing we’ve made so far. But we’re always looking for development and we’re always looking forward. If we feel like we don’t develop anymore, we’ll probably quit making music. Unfortunately we're pretty bad at being satisfied about stuff. We’ve never been out celebrating anything we’ve achieved. We need to start appreciating things more.
What famous person dead or living do most wish you could have as a roommate?
Bill Murray because he’s awesome and Heath Ledger because he’s the best. Oh, and we just met one of the maker of the Shack burger at Shake Shack. He needs to be there as well.
What is your favorite driving music?
Modest Mouse, with the song "Float On."
If you had to live in a past time, what do you think would be the most fun era and why?
Maybe New York in the '30s. After watching The Great Gatsby we all fell in love with the vibe of that place and time.
What activities do most enjoy doing alone?
Lately we’ve been playing so much Pokemon on our Nintendos. Gotta catch em all!
How do you wind down before bed?
Emil is always listening to podcasts when he goes to sleep. The rest of us don’t do anything special. Usually after a show you’re exhausted so it’s not that hard to get some sleep.
When are you most relaxed?
Sitting in a Jacuzzi with a big fat Cuban cigar.
What kind of person were you in high school?
We were drifters. Hung out with everyone and we like to believe that we were nice people. We went to a music high school so everyone shared our interests and that was very cool.
Can you tell me a quality about yourself that you are genuinely proud of?
Cooking food, we’re great chefs. Our homemade burgers are the bomb. Emil makes this home made falafel which is awesome as well. We have this dream of opening up a restaurant at some point.
Do you have any phobias?
Insects, spiders, snakes. We should probably cancel our upcoming Australia tour.
How do you hope to grow as a creative person?
We hope to develop as a band and as individuals. We´re so pumped for the future. We have so much more to give and we can’t wait for everything to happen!
