Loney Dear - Dear John [2009]

Website

Loney, Dear is the pseudonym of Swedish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen. He has self-released four albums of music in his native Sweden. His first major release came in February, 2007 in the U.S. when Sub Pop re-issued his latest album Loney, Noir.

Emil Svanängen self-released his first album, The Year of River Fontana, in 2003. Recorded in the basement of his parents' home in Jönköping with a minidisk microphone and a home computer, released on home-made CD-Rs, and sold only through his website and at live performances, it became popular on word-of-mouth alone. The next two years saw Svanängen record and release three more albums.

When Loney, Dear play live, Svanängen is joined by Samuel Starck (keyboards), Malin Ståhlberg (tambourine, vocals), Ola Hultgren (drums), and David Lindvall (bass). Loney, Dear appeared on the song "This Boy" from I'm From Barcelona's 2006 album Let Me Introduce My Friends.

In 2006 Loney, Dear was signed by U.S. record label Sub Pop. Sub Pop released Loney, Dear's fourth album, Loney, Noir, on February 6, 2007.
Loney, Dear recently toured America, opening with Pigeon John for Of Montreal, and as of April 2007, were on a North American tour with fellow Sub Pop labelmates Low. Shortly following this tour the band visited Europe, having just finished a tour supporting Chicago post-rockers The Sea and Cake. In Britain, he supported the London band Athlete on their UK tour and Maps at their Kings College London Student Union show. In Paris he did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon.
In 2009, Loney, Dear joined Andrew Bird as he toured to support Bird's January release of Noble Beast.