PopCrush Presents: The Magnettes

Every week at PopCrush, we’re putting the spotlight on one up-and-coming act you need to know about. Why? So you can get on board early before everyone else and their mother jumps on the bandwagon…and so you can be that one friend in the group who’s always like, “Um, actually, I prefer their earlier work.”

Sweden's metaphorical musical ground is rife with pop gold. The success of hit makers like Max Martin and Icona Pop are just two of many examples, and new duo The Magnettes have emerged as the country’s latest sonic force to be reckoned with.

Vocalists Rebecka Digervall and Sanna Kalla first met at the age of six, forming a close friendship that would lead to the creation of their musical union. By the time the two turned 14, Digervall had already written a slew of songs for themselves, and things snowballed from there.

"Paper Cut," the Magnettes' debut single, dropped in 2012. The song's a healthy contrast to the more yielding, glittery pop-lean of their current material, but offers a solid glimpse into the group's modest pop-punk beginnings.

After performing to their growing following across Europe and Russia, the duo headed to the US in 2015, where they performed at SXSW and wrote together in Nashville. That trip, they say, offered them something of a creative breakthrough.

“Something happened in Nashville,” says Digervall. “We were just like, ‘Yeah, it’s time to be fearless and write whatever the f—k we want.’ So we went home and did that!”

The Magnettes have since found their footing with a sound that's a pinch more pop, juggling catchy hooks, robust synths and biting vocals with an underlying edge that stays true to the attitude and brashness of their 2012 debut single. When they sing, "Let's be best friends, be alone together / And grow up on Bikini Kill and Back in Black," on current single "Killers in a Ghost Town," you might long to re-live your teenage years with them -- growing pains and all.

“[It's] about being an outcast and an underdog," The Magnettes said of the track. "About claiming your space and identity. About growing up as a goth or punk kid wanting to look like Robert Smith and everyone telling you to brush your hair out.”

This us-against-the-world mentality acts as a running theme throughout their work, but it's always carefully delivered with a wink and a nudge. They say it best, though, on their 2015 single "Bones" when they sing what appears to be their unofficial motto: “And no one in this world will understand / But who the f---k needs ‘em?"

Like what you hear? Head over to iTunes to check out their full discography.

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