“We all know what’s coming,” sings Jocke Åhlund on “Big Flood”, the epic centrepiece to the fifth album from his band Les Big Byrd. The track reckons with Ragnarök, the Norse mythological prophecy of the apocalypse, which is fitting; Ruin Everything is informed by the world around it, and accordingly, it swirls with dystopian portent. The Stockholm stalwarts’ signature blend of psych and krautrock remains as adventurous ever, as the four-piece confront death, desolation and a world on the brink.
The four-piece, comprising Jocke Åhlund (Teddybears, Caesars) bassist Frans Johansson, keyboardist Christian Olsson and drummer Nino Keller, have marked themselves out as one of Sweden’s most consistently thrilling rock outfits with their willingness to counterbalance experimental psych odysseys with irresistibly straightforward pop songs. “I can never stop myself from writing melodies,” explains Åhlund. “I don’t really enjoy singing that much, but there ended up being quite a few vocal tracks on this record.” In that respect, the band continue in the same vein as 2023’s Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain; they pick up where they left off with pulsating opener “Hökvind”, which sees the guitars and synth lines spiral skywards on a track with a title that Åhlund wryly notes translates into English as ‘Hawkwind’.
The songs again contain lyrics in both Swedish and English, and stylistically, they run the gamut of genres. There are the effervescent krautrock jams we’ve come to know and love from Les Big Byrd, including the title track, which Åhlund calls “a letter of intent” that features a bass line inspired by the late, great Mani of The Stone Roses, and “Artificial Sunlight”, which Åhlund admits is an ode to getting wasted. “Plain and simple. What can I say? Mom always tried to teach me to be honest…”
Then, there’s slower, more considered cuts like the thickly atmospheric “Nån annan dag” and the epic “Time Is a Killer”, the latter of which simmers to an explosive climax in a manner reminiscent of The Velvet Underground. The track’s title is a characteristic Åhlund literary reference, a line borrowed from William Burroughs.
Ruin Everything was recorded in Sollentuna in northern Stockholm, in a studio steeped in rich Swedish music history, meaning that fifty years of Swedish music history lingered in both the walls and the analog equipment. As ever, Les Big Byrd aimed to ensure that the raw excitement of their live shows was palpable on Ruin Everything. “We wanted to capture a certain feeling we’ve had, something that’s wonderful about the band, four people playing together and what arises between us,” says Åhlund.
There is still room for them to break new ground, as evidenced by “Searchlight”, which channels Stereolab and the Swedish outfit Bob Hund: “at least, that’s what we were aiming for, before we lost the compass and drifted off completely, as usual!” Åhlund describes that track as the record’s only love song, and there’s also a beguiling experiment in groove in the shape of closer “Beginners Luck”, on which the band worked in gospel influences. “I’m not religious but I was trying to write something with that same feeling of hope,” Åhlund recalls. “Like, who am I trying to kid?”
2026 marks fifteen years since Les Big Byrd’s debut single, and they show no sign whatsoever of slowing down. With a unique musical blueprint already in place, the focus has none tuned to perfecting their sound. The band describe Ruin Everything as “peak Les Big Byrd,” and as Åhlund puts it, “we’re late bloomers. It’s finally starting to look like something!”
Les Big Byrd to release new album, ‘Ruin Everything’ on 5th June
