Kent were a Swedish band, formed in 1990. With members Joakin Berg, Martin Skold, Sami Sirvio and Magnus Mustonen, the band has had numerous radio hits throughout Sweden and Scandinavia and consecutive number-one studio albums on the Sweden top list beginning with the release of Verkligen (1996) and led by the single “Kram”. With origins rooted in distorted rock, they found mainstream success through their alternative rock albums of the mid-1990s, 2000s and 2010s, the latter decades during which they adopted elements of synthpop. With eleven number-one albums, five number-one singles, 23 Swedish Grammy Awards and over 3 million record sales, Kent is considered one of the most popular rock/pop groups within Sweden and throughout Scandinavia.
In 1997 Kent released Isola. Guitarist Harri Mänty had joined the group since Verkligen. Verkligen had been heavily toured, gaining some reputation for Kent. The pre-release single, “Om du var här” (If You Were Here), became a hit as would the second single, “Saker man ser” (Things You See). Musically the album changed a lot from Verkligen, going a lot in the direction of slower, more thoughtful songs with more emotion. The last song on the album, the 7 minute, 47 second-long “747”, with a characteristic keyboard riff and a long instrumental outro, became the band’s closer for every show for the next 8 years, and won numerous best-song polls on Kent’s website. It was also released as a single, cut down to four minutes and with an added short chorus.
In 1999, Kent released Hagnesta Hill, named after Hagnestahill, a part of Eskilstuna where the band had had their first studio. The first, pre-release single, “Musik non stop” (Music Non Stop), a disco-rock song, became a huge radio hit and helped bring recognition for this album. The album was, for the most part, faster and less ballad-focused than Isola, and also mildly experimental with drum-machines and electronics. The singer and songwriter of Kent, Jocke Berg, later complained that he thought the album was too long (thirteen songs spread over one hour).[Two more singles were released, the industrial-esque “En himmelsk drog” (Heavenly Junkies) and the power-poppy “Kevlarsjäl” (Kevlar Soul).
After a long break, Kent started to work on their next full-length album in 2002. They reported from the studio that they tried to make an album consisting of ten singles. The first single “Dom Andra” (“The Others”) became a huge hit on Swedish radio. When the album Vapen & Ammunition (Weapons & Ammunition) came out, the next two singles “Karleken Vantar” (“Love Awaits”) and “FF”, plus the album track “Pärlor” (“Pearls”) became huge radio hits, resulting in album sales over 600,000, more than twice as many as any other Kent album to date. The definite proof of the album’s success was evident when the band received seven Swedish Grammy Awards in 2003.
After taking a one-year timeout, Kent returned to the studio to record their sixth album in 2005. Studio reports said it would be “a very dark album”. The first single released, Max 500, was well received by both fans and critics and became, as the last three singles had, a radio hit. The last track on the album, “Mannen i den vita hatten (16 år senare)” (The Man in the White Hat (16 Years Later) was very well received and is seen by many fans as Kent’s best effort. It also became the first song ever to replace “747” as the finale of a Kent concert.
In February 2016, Kent was elected to Swedish Music Hall of Fame. They then announced that ‘Da som nu for alltid’ (Swedish for “Then as Now Forever”) would be their last album, and that they would make a final tour in the Nordic countries, with the last concert in Stockholm in December 2016. The album Da som nu alltid was released in May 2016. This is my favourite track of theirs with the most interesting video.
