The Sounds are back in the United States on a headlining tour in support of their latest album, “Weekend,” after a short and successful North American tour in the fall. The indie Swedish dance-rock group will perform April 8 at Union Transfer.
The group’s bisexual lead singer, Maja Ivarsson, said the U.S. tour has some perks that touring in Europe or South America didn’t have.
“The tour buses over here are better,” she said. “They are more comfy. But basically the people are great and that’s a beautiful thing. Our fans are great wherever we go in the world, and that is a great thing to realize that we’re pretty much the same, all of us.”
Previous tours have seen the band opening for huge rock bands like Foo Fighters, No Doubt and Panic! at the Disco. Ivarsson said that while those gigs are great for the massive audiences they attract, the group is enjoying doing its own headlining tours.
“If I could, I would like to be the biggest on earth all the time and play massive gigs every day,” she said. “But of course it’s really nice to do shows in smaller venues as well. We’re doing a lot of headlining tours and it’s just fun to do the smaller venues. But I would love to perform in the biggest amphitheaters.”
After 15 years as a band and five albums under its belt, Ivarsson said the group has to balance the new material with older songs when it performs live.
“There is definitely a bunch of songs we have to play from the older albums that we have to play every show because for us it’s always fun to play them, as well as for the crowd,” she said. “I think it’s important to remember what it’s like to be a fan of the band and not only play the latest cuts. Obviously, you like the band because of the stuff you heard in the past. The show we’re doing is not for me personally. We’re doing it for the people in the crowd and they want to hear their favorite songs from over the years. We mix it up and play new songs and some of the older songs. The new songs are always more fun to play because you have to concentrate a little bit and it’s not so much of a routine.”
When asked if her sexuality affects how the press views her and her group, Ivarsson said it’s something she considers but isn’t too concerned about.
“It’s not something I’ve been very eager to talk about,” she said. “I think it’s important to be open about it and say what you feel. But then again, that is not my profession. I’m a singer in a rock band. That’s what I do and who I fuck is not your business. But at the same time, I understand that there’s a good reason to show other girls that it is possible to be like this and it’s not something that you should be ashamed about and something you can be proud of and open about. But that’s not the only thing that makes me who I am.”
It’s rare these days for a band around for 15 years to still have the same lineup as when it started, but The Sounds is one of those groups. Ivarsson said the secret to that stability is respect and sharing mutual goals, which have been crucial to the band’s continued success.
“The key is all of us have very different personalities and we have a lot more respect for each other now than when we first started,” she said. “We know each other so well and we know when to back off or when to step in and help out. It’s hard work and you have to be able to put up with a lot of stuff. I don’t know; maybe we were just really lucky to find each other that early on. All of us have been very involved in the songwriting. That makes us what we are with everyone helping out. We’re just very good friends with the same goals and vision.”
Catch The Sounds when they perform 8 p.m. at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. For more information or tickets, call 215-232-2100 or visit www.the-sounds.com.