Langhorns Showstopper

OVERVIEW Langhorns is the band from Lund, Sweden that, with their equally natural and innovative style, has brought surf rock out of history books and into modern times. To the delight of both devoted fans and newly awakened listeners, the album "Showstopper" (Adore Music/Bad Taste Empire) is now being released on vinyl and on streaming platforms in May. The sound is as always typical for Langhorns, following the line from the albums "Langhorns 1998", "Club Gabardino 1999", and "Mission Exotica 2003" (all on Bad Taste Records). The members are recognizable from bands such as The Sinners, Torsson, and Liberator, and the result is a tight combo that always puts the song first - whether it's a two-minute skewed riff, an elegant mahogany boat on the waves, or a proud pony on the run. The legacy of legendary bands like The Ventures and Dick Dale can be heard as an underlying tremolo chord throughout Langhorns' music, but what has given the band it's prominent position within modern surf rock is the creative fusion with other musical expressions. While some label their songs with terms like twang and exotica, others make connections to post-punk and indie rock, while still others hear echoes from such diverse artists as Dr. John and Tom Waits. However, in the songs, an equally witty and direct guitar always leads the band collective on it's very own highway through a musically undulating landscape where the trees bear fruit all year round. Much of the album is recorded live in the studio with only room microphones. "I wanted to record us simple and straightforward - that's when we are the best, playing with energy but at the same time relaxed. And then the sound of the room adds so much, ties it all together," says Michael Sellers, the band's leader and primary songwriter. With the new album "Showstopper," Langhorns fortifies their position as an influential band on the international surf rock scene. It's no wonder that the band's songs become the subject of countless cover versions from bands around the world, and soon YouTube will undoubtedly be flooded with versions of the new album's palette of future modern standards within the genre. "We've always worked well live, and I think the listener gets a glimpse of that on the new album, which is very little 'studio' in the usual sense," says Michael, continuing: "It feels like the songs have really acquired their unique flavors, and the result is a varied but cohesive album. Surf doesn't always have to be surf."