Love in October

About

Though based out of Chicago, the indie rock outfit Love in October can easily trace its roots back to Sweden. Erik Widman (vocals, guitar) relocated from his native Sweden to Michigan in 2000 to attend college, his brother Kent (bass) following him out there two years later. In 2006, both relocated again together, this time to Minneapolis, where the longtime musical partners started up a new project entitled Love in October. The band was rounded out by a revolving door of various members in the early days and initially had a power pop sound to their music.

They eventually entered the studio with producer Ed Rose (The Get Up Kids, The Casket Lottery, Motion City Soundtrack) to record their debut EP. The resulting Words of Sound appeared in late February 2007 via the Musik Group. In addition to just songwriting, however, Love in October further enjoy the visual arts, taking time to produce short films and music videos for themselves, and they garnered a healthy amount of online buzz for the video for their single "A Day in the Life Of." The video and song even earned the band a Best Music on Campus nomination for the 2007 MTVu Woodies, the awards handed out by the college-oriented arm of MTV.

The band released a series of self-titled EPs between 2009-2011 as their sound evolved to an indie pop sound inspired by bands like Tokyo Police Club and Swedish indie rockers Bob Hund. The band went on hiatus in 2011 as the Widman brothers shifted their attention to dance music and formed Eight Bit Tiger, their electronic alter ego to Love in October. Erik returned to Sweden in 2012 for academic pursuits, but the brothers would perform in the US and Sweden as Eight Bit Tiger over a five year period and release two full-length albums. Despite not being musically active, Love in October's music continuously appeared in national TV advertisements for Converse shoes, Red bull, Forever 21, Fruit of the Loom and Monster Energy Drinks.

In 2016 the silence was broken as the Widman brothers release Love in October III, a four-song EP that reimaged the Love in October sound, replacing their drummer with a drum machine and opting for a more lo-fi sound than previous albums. Their single Teenage Evolution became an internet favorite and introduced the band to many new fans. The success of the EP inspired the band to make a push for a full-length album and take their new lo-fi sound to the next level. Erik returned to the US in 2017 and was transitioning back to his life in Chicago. In November 2018 the band united with guitarist Chris Limerinos, who previously played with the band from 2010-2011, and started writing songs about the transition that not only the band was going through, but the US was also going through.

The result was SHAPES, the band's most cohesive and focused effort to date, where the band reflects on the state of the world, love, memories, uncertainty and the future. The sound is a crunchy 1980s LinnDrum mixed with lo-fi guitar hooks taking inspiration from bands like The Strokes. Occasional moments of Pixies, early Modest Mouse, and Nirvana weave their way in and out of the album. Songs like Surf Rock City and Late Night paint an abstract picture using long brush strokes of the struggles of love, while I Stopped Caring is an obvious slap in the face to the narcissism of president Trump and I Don't Want To Die Tonight captures the daily panic that we all feel from the pressures of the world. There are also less serious moments with songs like I'm Here, You're There and Stuck where the band hams it up at times and mixes 60s rockability and Motown bass lines with indie rock. The album closes with Wasting My Time, a Modest Mouse inspired song that surprises the lister and keeps us guessing what the band's next move will be.

Love in OctoberErik Widman - Vocals, Guitar, SynthKent Widman - Bass, SynthChris Limerinos - Guitar

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