Artist On The Rise: Urban Cone | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Artist On The Rise: Urban Cone

It can be hard to break into the U.S. music scene, but Swedish group Urban Cone is off to a great start.

60
Artist On The Rise: Urban Cone
Photo via Urban Cone Twitter

It can be hard to break into the U.S. music scene, but Swedish natives Rasmus Flyckt, Tim Formgren, Emil Gustafsson and Jacob Sjöberg are off to a great start.

Better known together as indie pop group Urban Cone, the foursome originally banded up in 2010, along with former member Magnus Folkö. Their debut single, Urban Photograph, came in late 2010 and gained notoriety in 2012 with the release of their first EP, "Our Youth."

According to keyboardist Jacob, the name Urban Cone is actually a direct translation from the Swedish expression "stadskotte," which means "a kid from the city."

Their passion for music really took root during their high-school years and is still evident in the music they release--in fact, debut album (also called "Our Youth") was recorded in Rasmus's living room.

"We met in high school then started rehearsing in Rasmus’s parents' basement every night after school," Emil, a vocalist and bassist, said. "We would watch live DVDs of our favorite bands afterwards. We started dreaming together and it was beautiful."

Although Urban Cone--which is signed by Interscope Records/Universal Sweden--is described as an indie pop group, the new songs the guys are currently working on for their third album are to be influenced by hip-hop and infused with Swedish vocal melodies. Better yet, it's "funky fresh super lazer," guitarist Tim said.

"We mix up old hip-hop beats with hard kicking baselines, add some funky guitar licks and super sweet Swedish vocal melodies and there you have it, Urban Cone," Tim said.

Originally Urban Cone started with various samples, many of which were inspired by fellow Swedish indie pop group Miike Snow's first album. Then the group transitioned to a live sound for its sophomore album.

Now on its junior album, vocalist and keyboardist Rasmus said the group is ready to mix things up.

"It's the best from those two worlds, a little bit of samples and a little bit of live and we feel stronger than ever," Rasmus said of the new sound.

And it's evident in their latest single, "Old School." Starting off with some static, faded "I love you" inserts, "Old School" opens with a keyboard intro and funky snapping noises. Listeners are then given a taste of eclectic electronic beats before being surprised with a retro beat accompanied by Urban Cone's classic "funky guitar licks."


The lyrics in "Old School" talk about taking a relationship old school and bringing back date night and chivalry.

"We got tired of Tinder, so we wrote a song about old-school love," Emil said of the single. "The romantic dream is still alive, let me love you old school baby."

Urban Cone has amassed more than 58,000 followers and nearly 1.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. "Old School" alone has more than 26.3 million streams. The group has collaborated with EDM artists Porter Robinson and John Dahlbäck, as well as fellow Swedish musician Tove Lo.

Other musical inspirations for the group include Bon Iver, Haim, Radiohead, Coldplay, Lana Del Rey, Chance the Rapper, Adele and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jacob said. In fact, Rasmus added that Chance the Rapper would be a "premium first class" collaboration.

Keep an eye out for these guys, as they're on the rise. They've performed all over Sweden and Scandinavia, toured with Tove Lo in Europe and most recently toured the U.S. with label mates Nightly. Next up? New music in the second half of 2017, with their junior album set to release next year.

"We're coming for you and we wanna tour all over the world to say hello to all of you," the guys said. "We love you!"

Check out Urban Cone's music on Soundcloud and Spotify and sign up for their newsletter to keep updated on new releases and other upcoming announcements. You can also follow them on Twitter and Instagram!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

468
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

1827
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less
Christmas tree
Librarian Lavender

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is one of my personal favorite holidays because of the Christmas traditions my family upholds generation after generation. After talking to a few of my friends at college, I realized that a lot of them don't really have "Christmas traditions" in their family, and I want to help change that. Here's a list of Christmas traditions that my family does, and anyone can incorporate into their family as well!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Phases Of Finals

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2492
Does anybody know how to study
Gurl.com

It’s here; that time of year when college students turn into preschoolers again. We cry for our mothers, eat everything in sight, and whine when we don’t get our way. It’s finals, the dreaded time of the semester when we all realize we should have been paying attention in class instead of literally doing anything else but that. Everyone has to take them, and yes, unfortunately, they are inevitable. But just because they are here and inevitable does not mean they’re peaches and cream and full of rainbows. Surviving them is a must, and the following five phases are a reality for all majors from business to art, nursing to history.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments