(Artist Report)

Written by: Abby Brown 

What do you get when a Swede, a Frenchman, and two Americans walk into a bar? You don’t get an “Ouch”—you get Blues Pills, one of the most dynamic blues-rock group to emerge out of Scandinavia in the last decade. While the setup sounds like a lame joke, the result is a band leading a masterclass in soulful psychedelia. By refusing the restrictive “vintage rock” label that stifles many of their peers, this quartet has cultivated an aura that feels timeless, yet fresh. This happenstance wasn’t just a product of serendipity or geographical coincidence; it was born out of a shared obsession with the kind of soul-drenched blues that the mainstream let fade into the industry’s background. They don’t just stand as a musical act but as a bridge between the grit of the American South and the icily melodic precision of the Swedish North.

Örebro, Sweden might be the band’s main stomping grounds, but the Blues Pills blueprint was drafted thousands of miles away. In 2011, Zack Anderson and Cory Berry—American half-brothers originally from Iowa’s psych rock outfit Radio Moscow—met powerhouse singer Elin Larsson while she was traveling in California. This chance meeting inspired their move to the Swedish countryside, where the three recruited 16-year-old French guitar prodigy Dorian Sorriaux. This union birthed their self-titled debut in 2014, an album that didn’t just dominate the European charts—it established them as the new vanguard of heavy, soulful rock.

However, the band’s style eventually evolved. Following Sorriaux’s departure, Zack Anderson moved from bass to lead guitar—a transition that rewrote the group’s entire sonic DNA. Where their early works were lighter and more vintage-flavored, their current sound has evolved into a denser, louder, and more aggressive breed of bluesy rock. This newfound heaviness isn’t merely the result of turning up the volume; it’s a deliberate effort to balance the juxtaposing ends of their musical heritage, a transformation further fueled by the profound personal growth of the “Birthday” era.

This musical heritage is a fascinating paradox: the marriage of Deep South Americana with the clinical, melodic precision of the Swedish North. While their foundation is rooted in the raw, honest sound of the Mississippi Delta Blues, it is filtered through a distinctly European lens. They aren’t alone as a musical cross-breed; bands like Graveyard and The Hellacopters have a comparable “Scandi-Soul” foundation. However, Blues Pills takes this mix to another dimension by leaning into Gospel-inspired vocals and layering them over motor-like beats. This results in a sound that feels as at home in a humid Memphis dive bar as it does under the Swedish midnight sun.

By perfecting this recipe, the band has successfully dodged the “Janis Joplin” or “Hendrix” comparisons that often act as a glass ceiling for new acts in the genre. They’ve moved past just being a “tribute to the 60s” to become an entity that prioritizes a “live-in-the-room” recording philosophy. This approach values what’s human—the tube amp hum and vocal cracks—over the sterile perfection of contemporary digital rock. It’s this commitment to authenticity that allows them to bridge the gap between picky old-school blues truthers and the younger, angrier rock audience. This only proves that the blues genre doesn’t need to hang up its jersey just yet; it’s still a living, breathing force with contemporary relevance.

This “breathing force” became a literal reality during the recording sessions for their latest and greatest album, Birthday. At the project’s start, Elin Larsson discovered she was pregnant. This was a revelation that fundamentally shifted the project from a collection of songs to a work of art inspired by new motherhood. Rather than retreating home and away from the studio, the band used this discovery as a creative catalyst. Larsson recorded her most commanding vocals to date while navigating the physicality of being pregnant. Produced by Freddy Alexander, the album represents a bold blend of the band’s signature grit and a sunny, psychedelic soul pop influence, further proving that a rock frontwoman can be both an unstoppable powerhouse and a Mom without missing a single beat.

This new motherhood wasn’t just a behind-the-scenes inspiration; it was thrust into the spotlight as a deliberate act of defiance. The cover art for Birthday, featuring a far-along Larsson, stands proudly against the hypermasculine and overly sexual imagery that’s historically dominated the “boys’ club” of hard rock. By seeing pregnancy as a show of raw human power and autonomy rather than a career-ending move, Blues Pills has effectively rewritten the playbook for women in the industry. This album cover’s visual statement carries over into their campaign for a new normal on the road—challenging the antiquated notion that a touring musician’s career and capability to have a family life are mutually exclusive. For the band’s younger rock audience, this era represents a shift from the genre’s previous reputation of being “dead.”

This defiant energy is exactly what the band is taking to the global stage for their massive 2026 performance schedule. Starting in the spring, Blues Pills will embark on the joint-headlined “Double Bill Tour” with Dutch psychedelic rockers DeWolff. This is a pair that serves as a high-octane State of the Union for the genre. Both bands are renowned for their natural onstage allure without the need for a humongous flashing screen. This remains a rarity in this digital age. They also share a complete refusal to use backing tracks or metronomes; instead favoring to follow the ebbs and flows that occur naturally during performing. The unrestrained energy from this organic approach is set to fuel the group during their intense scheduling across Spain, where the band is set to conquer the “Triple Crown” of the festival circuit: Resurrection Fest (July 2), Barcelona Rock Fest (July 3), and Rock Imperium (July 4). By performing for tens of thousands alongside legends like Iron Maiden and Slipknot, the band is proving that their “Scandi-Soul” sound isn’t just an experimental amalgamation, but a world-class delicacy.

Of course, for a band that has spent the last year building a new normal, the 2026 tour cycle raises a practical question that the “boys’ club” members of the past rarely had to answer: How does a headlining frontwoman navigate an intense international tour with a newborn? For Larsson and her band mates, the answer lies in the same autonomy they’ve preached since the Birthday recording sessions. By integrating family life directly into the tour’s structure—like selecting the venues Heimathafen Neukölln in Berlin and WUK in Vienna specifically for their quiet, accommodating environments—the group is drafting a blueprint for the modern musician-parent, further reinforced by the intentional hiring of a family-oriented crew. These are more than just logistical choices; they are the band putting their money where their mouth is and turning advocacy into action. For the American audience listening from across the pond, this isn’t just a win for the multinational melting pot of the group—it’s proof that the “rockstar life” can finally evolve to support its inhabitants, ensuring the next generation of rock musicians doesn’t have to choose between the stage and the cradle.

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