Air France were a 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 su ...

band formed in Gothenburg by Joel Karlsson and Henrik Markstedt. They were signed to the record label Sincerely Yours, founded by fellow Gothenburgers The Tough Alliance. Air France's music has been described as "post-rave bliss", "beach foam pop", and " Balearic disco", although Karlsson said that the Balearic movement "is something I can't relate to at all".

History

Formation

Air France were formed in Gothenburg in 2005 by friends Joel Karlsson and Henrik Markstedt. The duo were influenced by

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

and acts such as Saint Etienne. The band's first track, "Behind Cabin Curtains", was lost after a hard drive crash. They were joined by Elisabet Sjögren in 2006 after the duo decided that they needed a female vocalist. The band initially stated that they would not play any live shows, although they later changed their stance.

''On Trade Winds''

Air France were signed by Sincerely Yours founder Eric Berglund, and in December 2006 they released their first EP ''On Trade Winds'', which received moderate attention. "Afraid You Told Someone About Us", a cover of a song by

Au Revoir Simone Au Revoir Simone is an American indie pop band from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2003. The group is composed of Erika Forster (vocals/keyboard), Annie Hart (vocals/keyboard/bass) and Heather D'Angelo (vocals/drum machine/keyboard ...

, was released in April 2007, followed later that year by the single "Hold On to Me, Baby".

''No Way Down''

The band released their second EP '' No Way Down'' in June 2008 to favourable reviews. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' gave the EP a rating of 8.6, listing it in their Best New Music column and eventually placing it at number 14 on their list of the 50 best albums of 2008. ''No Way Down'' initially only received a Swedish release, but it was later released in the United Kingdom at the end of the year by the label Something in Construction, alongside ''On Trade Winds''.

Final recordings and split

Air France released the single "GBG Belongs to Us" in 2009. The single was accompanied by a dedicated website, which was eventually taken down when the band forgot to pay the domain hosting fee. Later that year, it was announced that the band had signed a publishing deal with

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six albu ...

, aiming to release their debut album in 2010. The album never materialised as the band were not satisfied with their output. In August 2011, a new track from the band, "It Feels Good to Be Around You", was released. In March 2012, Air France released a statement announcing that they had decided to break up. In the statement, they cited their difficulties in producing new music that they felt was "good enough" and wrote that they had "decided to stop trying, even though it breaks our hearts". On the second anniversary of Air France's split, the New Zealand

band Yumi Zouma released a cover of Air France's final single "It Feels Good to Be Around You" featuring guest vocals from Karlsson and Markstedt.

Discography

;EPs * ''On Trade Winds'' (2006) * '' No Way Down'' (2008) ;Singles * "Afraid You Told Someone About Us" (2007) * "Hold On to Me, Baby" (2007) * "GBG Belongs to Us" (2009) * "It Feels Good to Be Around You" (2011) ;Remixes * Saint Etienne – "Spring" (Air France remix) *

Friendly Fires Friendly Fires are an English indie rock band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008, and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelv ...

– "Skeleton Boy" (Air France remix) * Taken by Trees – "Taken by Sweetness" (Air France remix)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Air France 2005 establishments in Sweden 2012 disestablishments in Sweden Electronic music duos Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2012 Musical groups from Gothenburg Swedish electronic music groups Swedish musical duos Swedish pop music groups