The Embassy is a Swedish pop duo consisting of guitarist/vocalist Fredrik Lindson and keyboardist/programmer Torbjörn Håkansson. Their music can be described as a blend of

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

twee pop Twee pop is a subgenre of indie pop that originates from the 1986 ''NME'' compilation '' C86''. Twee pop gets its name from the aesthetic of twee, which is known for its simplicity and childlike innocence. Some of its defining features are boy-gi ...

and pub rock. Their music was first released by the independent label

Service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...

but is currently released via the bands own imprint, International. The group's

post-modernist Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the worl ...

attitude, anti-rock aesthetics and disrespectful live performances have made them both loved and loathed.

History

1999: Formation

The Embassy was formed in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in 1999.

2002: ''Futile Crimes''

The group's debut album '' Futile Crimes'' was released in 2002, preceded by the three singles "Sneaky Feelings EP", "It Never Entered My Mind" and "The Pointer/Make me sad". The album consists of 10 songs recorded by Björn Olsson in Sehr Schöön studios. The group sparked controversy during this time for using instruments made of

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. Their construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard, made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light brown ...

while performing live, along with utilizing playback.

2005: ''Tacking''

The second full-length album, '' Tacking'', further exemplified the band's self-described style of "Underclass Disco" and won them critical acclaim both locally and internationally. By the end of the 2000s, echoes of the Embassy's aesthetic could be found in critically acclaimed albums by Jens Lekman, The Tough Alliance (who named their imprint, Sincerely Yours, after an Embassy song),

Studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

(with their Information imprint, also named after an Embassy song),

Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...

, and jj, among others. After the release of ''Tacking'', the group went silent for several years. They have later stated that this was because they lost faith in the traditional album format.

2011: ''Life in the Trenches''

In 2011, the group released the compilation album '' Life in the Trenches'', consisting of rarities and b-sides. :"''Life in the Trenches'' also embodies most of the contradictions that make the Embassy so beguiling. The impression of earnest sensitivity that makes you want to pat the guys on the head often gives way to a mischievousness that leaves a not-unpleasant sensation that you're being had. ��If these guys were handing out Halloween candy, you'd check it for syringes." :- Marc Hogan,

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

2013: ''Sweet Sensation''

The group's third album, '' Sweet Sensation'', was released in 2013 on the group's own label International. The album clearly showcases the group's influences of

club music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create s ...

while still keeping their distinct sound. During their following tour, the band collaborated with the lighting artist Thomas Hämén. They had previously experimented with light by turning on the light over the audience and keeping the stage in the dark.

2018: ''White Lake''

In 2018, the group released the album '' White Lake'', preceded by the EP ''Background Music for Action People''. The release consists of 8 tracks, all of which are recorded remotely using

Skype Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, ...

. The album is inspired by "post-punk, acid and

eco-terrorism Eco-terrorism is an act of violence which is committed in support of environmental causes, against people or property. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines eco-terrorism as "...the use or threatened use of violence of ...

" according to the band. Following the release of ''White Lake'', the band went on tour in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

2023: ''E-Numbers''

E-Numbers was released in fall 2023, followed by a tour including Sweden, Denmark, France and UK. The album was released on new label Dream On (run by former Service label manager Ola Borgström). E-Numbers was recorded by Isak Eldh in Sätila, Sweden. The cover is a work of artist Klas Barbrosson. In 2024 Datasal made a remix of the whole album called "D-Numbers"

Style and influence

The Embassy's blend of various

underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or wikt:top dog, top dog. In the case where an under ...

sub culture genres with Lindsons yearning singing and lyrics has sparked both confusion and praise. The interplay of earnestness and mischief puts the listener in a

paradox A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true or apparently true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictor ...

ical situation of two opposing states - being thankful for a beautiful gift and getting the feeling that you are absolutely being fooled. This in turn leads to further confusion — if the listener is in fact being fooled, ''what'' are we being fooled ''of''? In an interview, Lindson claims that frustration and euphoria are very closely related. :"Our email address has since the beginning of Gmail been "embarrassing", that address says a lot about us as a band. We connect in humiliation and turn it into a strength" :- Håkansson on the process behind ''White Lake''

Discography

Studio albums

*2002 '' Futile Crimes'' (CD/LP - Reissue) *2005 '' Tacking'' (CD/LP) *2013 '' Sweet Sensation'' (CD/LP) *2018 '' White Lake'' (CD/LP) *2023 '' E-Numbers'' (LP)

Compilation albums

* 2011 '' Life in the Trenches'' (Album, CD/LP)

EPs

* 2004 ''Wearing Our Pop Art Hearts on Our Sleeves'' (EP, CD) * 2006 ''A Compact Disc Including the Embassy'' (EP, CD) * 2017 ''Background Music for Action People'' (EP, Cassette)

Singles

* 2001 "Sneaky Feelings" (Single, 7"-Vinyl) * 2002 "It Never Entered My Mind" (Single, 7"-Vinyl) * 2002 "The Pointer" (Single, CD) * 2004 "Flipside of a Memory" (Single, 7"-Vinyl) * 2005 "Some Indulgence" (Single, CD) * 2006 "It Pays to Belong" (Single, Download) * 2007 "Some Indulgence Rewind" (Single, CD) * 2008 "State'08" (Single, 12" vinyl) * 2009 "You Tend to Forget" (Single, 12" vinyl) * 2010 "C'est La Vie" (Single, Download) * 2012 "Roundkick" (Single, Download) * 2013 "International" (Global mix) (Single, Download) * 2013 "I-D" (Single, Download) * 2018 "Wasted" (Single, Download) * 2018 "Sorry" (Single, Download) * 2023 "Renegades" (Single, Download) * 2023 "Amnesia" (Single, Download)

References

External links

Official homepage

Official bandcamp site

Service Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Embassy Swedish electronic music groups Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups from Gothenburg