Air Castles was a British
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
band, based in London, England, formed in 2008.
History
Air Castles started as the solo project of then 19-year-old Swedish-born singer-songwriter, Max Mansson. Produced by Magnus Lindberg of
Cult Of Luna
Cult of Luna is a Swedish heavy metal band from Umeå founded in 1998. They are known for post-metal music similar to the contemporary bands Neurosis and Isis. The band was signed to Earache Records in the early 2000s and released five albums, i ...
, the debut
EP, ''Night and Day'', was released later that year on Mansson's own label Winter Hymns Records. ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described the release as "spirited, piano driven melancholia...well worth hearing". The music magazine, ''
Rock Sound
''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...
'', labelled the debut effort "fantastic", and referred to it as "sublime crystalline indie ... that will appeal to fans of Jeniferever, Sigur Rós, Death Cab For Cutie and Band of Horses alike". Their track, "Broken Watches", was used in the DVS ''Skate & Create 2009'' skateboard video, attracting a following on YouTube.
Encouraged by the positive response to the EP, Mansson started writing new songs for an album, while establishing a live set-up together with Luke South and Jonathan Rogers, both of whom now form the band together with Mansson.
Air Castles have performed alongside
Other Lives (band)
Other Lives is an American indie rock band from Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States.
The band originally formed in 2004 as Kunek and released one album in 2006 under that name. Other Lives' self-titled album was released p ...
,
Shout Out Louds
Shout Out Louds is a Swedish indie pop band from Stockholm.
History
Formed in Stockholm by childhood friends Adam Olenius (vocals), Ted Malmros (bass), and Carl von Arbin (guitars), Shout Out Louds found an international audience during the e ...
,
Peter Bjorn and John,
Shearwater,
The Pipettes
The Pipettes were a British indie pop girl group formed in 2003 in Brighton by Robert "Monster Bobby" Barry. The group has released two albums, '' We Are The Pipettes'', and '' Earth vs. The Pipettes'' and released numerous singles to support ...
, and toured Europe in 2011 with the Swedish
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
band,
Last Days of April
Last Days of April is an indie pop band from Stockholm, Sweden.
History
Last Days of April formed in 1996. The band found some underground success with their first demo release. A full-length was issued in 1997, then an EP on Bad Taste Records i ...
. Air Castles performed at
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
in 2011, as one of the bands invited to play the
BBC Introducing stage.
''"Air Castles"''
BBC Glastonbury 2011.
Their debut album, ''Lights'', was recorded in 2010, and all instruments and vocals featured were performed by Mansson, apart from drums and percussion which were by Magnus Lindberg. The album was produced by Mansson and Lindberg, at Tonteknik Recording in Umeå
Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County.
Situated on the Ume River, Umeà ...
, Sweden.
'Gold' is the first single to be taken from the album, and was released on 12 September 2011 on Winter Hymns Records.
Air Castles is on the roster of international artist booking agency Pitch & Smith, and Mansson signed a publishing contract in 2011 with Mars Music AB.
Discography
*''Night and Day EP'' (Winter Hymns Records, 2008)
*''Lights'' (Winter Hymns Records, 2012)
References
External links
Marsmusic.seBBC.co.uk
{{Authority control
British indie pop groups