Not long after I started 17 Seconds just over as year ago, I received an email from a friendly sounding chap called gav, who runs a label called Letterbox records. I have done several features on Letterbox records since I started this blog, including the Amateurs and Morning Bride, this time I would like to focus on Sweden’s Penny Century.
Penny Century hail from the North of Sweden, and have released four eps before signing to Letterbox. Whilst comparisons to a well-known ‘seminal’ cassette released 21 years ago through the NME or certain Swedish bands of the last fifteen years ago are too obvious to make, it’s also unfair because these songs deserve to be heard on their own terms. Their debut ‘Between A Hundred Lies’ will be out in two weeks’ time, from where ‘What You never Learned To Say’ comes from. In addition to this, I’d like to direct your attention to two earlier tracks that give a taste of what Penny Century are like. To me, they sound like summer.
Penny Century -‘What You Never Learned To Say.’ mp3
Penny Century -‘Summer Outside.’ mp3
Penny Century -‘Tangled Up In My Sheets.’ mp3
and a reminder of edinburgh’s The Amateurs’ double A-side from earlier this year;
Amateurs -‘Things You Only Know If You Don’t Drive.’ mp3
Letterbox records can be found here, including the shop, and the requisite myspaces for the bands are here for Penny Century and here for The Amateurs.
If you like what you hear, please go and investigate. Best of all, this is 100% with the record companies blessing! See you soon…