The Demotapes Album by Sofia HÄrdig

Simple, still complex, 14 songs, raw, naked to the bone.

BIO

SOFIA HÄRDIG has from the start demanded attention! With her bands she gained great reviews nationally and internationally.

2003 The Year starts off with a tour to New York. Playing at CBGB:s twice. Doing two live shows at Unitygain television. Hooks up with Dj Olive and a collaboration is initialised. She also does some work with Kid Lucky. Back home she is signed to one of the most established booking agency in Sweden: Skrikhult Production. Sofias band THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD is chosen to be the opening act of Rookie 2003 (even before they are an actual band officially). Besides all she is touring frequently in Sweden.

2004 Sofia was chosen to be a "Room Five Artist" by the Ystad Artmuseum. Also she has been rewarded with both, the STIM Grant (Swedish Composers Organisation) and the Artcouncil Working Grant for her music. Very rare that an artist gets both Grants in the same year...

She also shared the stage with world famous musicians like Merzbow, Iku Mori, members of Fugazi and many more at the Perspectives Festival 2004 in Västerås/Sweden. The Festival stated Sofia as the next girl in experimental rock. Iku Mori, Merzbow, White Magic and many more showed their admiration to her work. Sofia and her band are still touring in Sweden. The bass player of The Hellacopters Kenny Håkansson joins the band and participates at the recordings of the forthcoming album. The Single OOO OOA OOA OOO is released on vinyl. Sofia is also signed to the label Olof Bright for the release of

SOFIA HÄRDIG + . Olof Bright has formerly released artist such as Sonic Youth, Jim O'Rourke and Kim Gordon.

The Spanish Rock magazine "Rock Sound" is writing a rave review and interview, entitled "Born To Win". There is no doubt that within a year you'll end up hearing and speaking of the extraordinary voice and charisma of Sofia Härdig and her Needles. Many journalists are referring to the fact that the question is only WHEN and not IF she'll be a household name among the people in rock.

2005 The beginning of the year Sofia starts isolated in a lonely cottage, writing and recording, what will become THE DEMOTAPES ALBUM. All songs written, performed and recorded in three solitary weeks by Sofia. Raw, dark and pure and definitely nothing for those who are afraid of the dark...

THE DEMOTAPES ALBUM and THE STORM IN MY HEAD is released on Filthy Records/border Music. Also on THE STORM IN MY HEAD album the multi-instrumentalist Sofia shares duties on vocals, guitar synth, organ and bass along with the great musicians that appears on the album Her music is played by several German radiostations. Both her albums are played by major Swedish radio-stations. One Swedish Radio station even dedicated a whole hour to Sofia and her music. She will also be the coverstory of the German online magazine Rockwellen. The interview accomplished due to the Rockwellen magazine will also be broadcasted on two major German radio stations. She has also done a series of Swedish radio interviews.

Recently Sofia played the big Openmusic Festival in Ystad/Southsweden and was even invited by Yoshimi (Boredoms, OOIOO)to join her and play live with her on stage.

Tours in Sweden, Denmark and Germany are planned.

"she's an amazing songwriter .. It's awesome! .. What's especially striking about Sofia Hardig is how she employs interesting little twists within the often predictable realm of gritty guitar rock, and commandeers the genre like she's got it all to herself. Nervy, sensual and self-assured, Hardig deserves to be widely heard, as she's far more interesting than many others mining this same stylistic territory." Kevin Renick Playback St. Louis, USA

" What a voice!... her nerve-racking, melodic lo-fi version of blues punk is not possible to miss.. Especially hauntingly when the menacing stranglehold of her minimalistic, reduced songs grab your throat like a cold hand in the darkness. - guitars and drums rumble into the darkest corners... pure and raw rock'n roll,

Markus Wiludda, Eldoradio*, Germany

"I cant help gasping in amazment over that this is her first work. It's rock with experimentall dimensions burtn to black at the edges, one moment beatiful the next sissling furiusly stinging like pins and needles.. "

Lars Thulin Ystad Allehanda

"Sofia Härdig conquers the world with her voice...."

Sydsvenskan

"SOFIA HÄRDIG The Next Girl in experimental rock"

Perspectives 2004, Västerås

"A truly stellar debut"

Anna Maria Stjärnell, Luna Kafe

"An impressive and strong debut from a very exiting, interesting artist and songwriter who you definitely will hear more about in the future.."

Thomas Fridholm Musikindustrin

"BORN TO WIN ... La-La-La Härdig....Sofia Härdig And The Needles is on the verge of bursting in like one of new jewels of the inexhaustible Scandinavian mine ...I am sure that within two months to a year, she will no longer be a minoritycult. There is no doubt that you will end up hearing and speaking of the extraordinary voice and the charisma..."

Rock Sound, Spain

"A fantastic voice..."

Sundsvalls Tidning

"Damn good........ Will make her a household name among the people in rock.... It's not a question whether she is going to make it big time or not, but WHEN... Remember where you read it first"

Ystad Allehanda

"With a voice that burns through skin and concrete.... a register that lifts you from under your feet to heaven. Some have spoken of deepest black. Yes, but she gives this darkness a quality that is felt on the inside of your palms: russling silk, curessing velvet, skin in the dark... because the voice goes outside. In to. Under.. one of the coolest voices around"

Thomas Millroth, Ystad Artmuseum

Review

Playback St. Louis, USA www.playbackstl.com

Sweden

Sofia Härdig: The Storm In My Head (Filthy Records)

Although she tours and records as Sofia Hardig and the Needles, I'm including Hardig here because she's an amazing songwriter and because she released TWO CDs this year-The Storm In My Head, and a raw but potent collection of home-made demos called, naturally, The Demotapes Album. That one IS billed as just Sofia, so she's in! Ms. Hardig is one of the true "rocker chicks" of Sweden, and bears definite stylistic similarities to PJ Harvey, Chrissie Hynde and Patti Smith. Her electric guitar, which she seems to enjoy playing ragged, fuzzed-up chords on, is never far from her side. She has a propensity for starting songs with sparse electric guitar alone (or maybe with a bit of percussion) and then kicking things into full-tilt rock when you're not fully expecting it.Pretty cool. On "Backwards Into The Night," she repeats a synth bit that sounds like a xylophone and parallels the main melody, while Hardig shows her affection for early Patti Smith in her vocalizing. She's great at darkening her delivery and alternating between tough and tender, sometimes going from one to the other in a flash. On "Bring It Home," over bass and raw synth she tells a lover she's waiting at home for him-"I know you told me so/It's not a lie"-and you get the clear impression the guy will be in BIG trouble whether he comes home or not. The song is essentially two chords with some variable distortion, and Hardig works it for max emotion. "Water Surrounds Us" is an introspective Pretenders-like ballad. "Falling" requires only a minute and a half to kick some serious ass, with Hardig playing the same chord over and over and delivering a classic rock & roll chorus. Two of the album's most fascinating songs are "I Hurt," which gains power from raw, unadorned emotion. Hardig starts with an unsteady, anguished vocal as though she's in a drunken, self-destructive mood-then just when you get a little worried, she kicks the song into a carefully controlled, full-tilt rocker. It's awesome! So is "Krimes," which features Hardig counting "1,2,3,4" over and over on one track and singing an impressively unsettled low vocal on a different track. What's especially striking about Sofia Hardig is how she employs interesting little twists within the often predictable realm of gritty guitar rock, and commandeers the genre like she's got it all to herself. Nervy, sensual and self-assured, Hardig deserves to be widely heard, as she's far more interesting than many others mining this same stylistic territory. OR: 7. OM: 2. www.sofiahardigandtheneedles.com

Kevin Renick

REVIEW LA LUNA KAFE'

Sofia Härdig and the Needles

The Storm in my head + The Demotapes album

Filthy Records

Sofia Härdig is a strong singer and her backing band includes members from Hellacopters and bob hund. Her music bears a distinct resemblance to Patti Smith and a little bit to PJ Harvey.

Her darkly alluring tones on "Backwards into the Night" makes the song special. "Bring It Home" is what the Yeah Yeah Yeahs might be up to now, all choppy rhythms and charismatic singing. Härdig really connects with "Water Surrounds us", a deliciously emotional song underpinned by a Bad Seeds-y organ and a passionate vocal performance. Here she seems to go from sadness to unholy joy in a heartbeat.

"For a man/for a week" displays punkish attitude to spare and the snotty singing is brilliant. This is a truly stellar debut.

Following the full band effort Härdig has released a solo effort called "The Demotapes Album". Recorded in three weeks, it's a pared-down but still important record.

Härdig's voice can carry her songs even here. The calm "Shy Away" is a fine moment, carried by some nice guitar playing. "A Ship" has some truly demented singing and a palpable intensity. A version of "Backwards into the Night" closes this album and is just as good as The Storm in My head version, but rawer and more primal.

Copyright © 2005 Anna Maria Stjärnell

ARTICLE ROCK SOUND SPAIN

BORN TO WIN

Accompanied by members of The hellacopters and Bob Hund, Sofia Härdig And The Needles is on the verge of bursting in like one of new jewels of the inexhaustible Scandinavia mine. It is only a time question. Soon you can't say that we didn't Know.

Everything in Sofia Härdig recalls New York: her attitud, her style, her voice and her music. Appart from that she is Swedish and she lives in Stockholm. Sofia is the East Village. On the scene she is a suburbial, carismatic and overflowing antiheroin of sensuality, that both whispers to the ear of pretty things and next cries of breaking free.

There is black everywhere , with pants of leather and a fit t-shirt; the ray of her eyes, intimidated black, and the long hair, color closed night. But beyond urban facades and models, it is her voice, and all its shades, that marks the difference.

If you have to look for a reference for her voice and her sound, La Härdig would be a inclasificable and equidistant hybrid between PJ Harvey and Patti Smith.

It does not seem either that to her:"Its turns out it not simple to explain with words my sound. Someone once said that it would be something as electic-twist-punk. I think that it is rock, in its dark slope, an intermediate point between the happiness and the sadness. And there is trenght, like a force that you cant resist. I like melancholic music, but I'm drawn to more forcefull."

She grew up listening to punk-Jam, Sex Pistols, Blondie-, in addition to bands like The Smiths, Einstürsende Neubauten, Nick Cave, Iggy Pop and PJ Harvey. And of that portion of influences ended up arising the most personal music, sometimes punk, to somtimes industrial, sometimes orcestral melancholic.

"'It deals with rock but not necessarily of something conform, it does not follow the classic structure of a pop song, it's totally open to other influences. There is a greater freedom to leave the classic structures that belongs other bands, like mine"

The one who tries to give guidance is one of the Needles, the bass player of The Hellacopters, Kenny Håkanson. The other luxury support is another local legend, the member of Bob Hund Johnny Essing.

Two parallel projects, In which she also is the brain and the voice, The Happiest Girl In The World and Trio Switzerland, serves Sofia Härdig to experiment with new sounds and to invoke the demons whom she next exorcises with the Needles. Demons who shape themselves in texts.

"the frustratíon, of the emotions, the longing of belonging, and, of course, of love. In each song there is usually a couple of different subjects that intervien"

With two simple of six songs in the street and a prudent mentality, the Needles is on the verge of choosing a label for their awaited launching. "When doing music that is difficult to classify,It's complicated to choose a label that adapts to what we do. If we want to do it well, we need a record label that truely likes music and is open to different sounds. We fitted neither in commercial music nor in the Scandinavia scene, and for that reason I believe that it would not be good signing to a multinational, We rather need a label that does a passionate work". Kenny Håkansson reflects.

I am sure that within two months or a year, she will no longer be a minoritycult. There is no doubt that you will end up hearing and speaking of the extraordinary voice and the charisma of Sofia Härdig and her Needles"

Rock Sound

Average Customer Review: