Photo by: iamhighvoltage.com

Fans of Tegan and Sara, La Roux, or anything 80’s, follow these instructions: purchase the album Something To Die For, and proceed to loudly sing the lyrics and dance about.

When Swedish indie-rock band, The Sounds, formed in 1999, they were welcomed into the European music scene with open arms, earning the No. 4 spot in Swedish album charts with their first album, Living in America. Since then, they have produced three more albums, the newest being the sublime Something To Die For.

Leading the way is the vocal talent of Maja Ivarsson—the word “talent” being an understatement—a scintillating voice that those on this side of the Atlantic Ocean may recognize from Cobra Starship’s “Snakes On A Plane (Bring It)” back in 2006.

The Sounds’ latest album energetically hurls the listener back into the 80’s, complete with synthesizers, snare drums and Ivarsson’s rebellious voice and lyrics.

However, several songs keep the album current, like “Dance With The Devil” with its auto-tuned back ups that any fan of modern pop can appreciate.

The best songs are title track, “Something To Die For” and “Yeah Yeah Yeah,” both of which perfectly define the fearless and danceable sound of the band, but unlike their previous albums, The Sounds manages to show their range in songs like face-melter “Diana” and the ballad-like song “Best Of Me.”

Not only are the tunes catchy and make it impossible to remain motionless, but every track sends out a profound message, a trait many artists today have lost.

Whether Ivarsson is smoothly crooning the words “Gotta seize the moment before it’s gone” in opening number “It’s So Easy,” or “When I feel that something is wrong, then something is worth to fight for” in the tantalizingly techno-like “Something To Die For,” The Sounds entertains but simultaneously inspire.

Despite the maturity of their lyrics, The Sounds’ style is by no means too high-brow for the common man.

On the contrary, there is a specific mood accompanying every track that makes it perfect for any circumstance.

With their newest album, The Sounds have transcended the poppy and cliché love songs expected of their genre and have instead compiled a perfect collection of anthems that are fun, yet passionately relevant to the human spirit.