IMMANU EL

IMMANU EL started as a musical experiment in 2004 by 16-year-old Claes Strängberg, soon joined by his twin brother Per and their old childhood friend Emil Karlsson. The ambition has, ever since the start, been to create something captivating and beautiful – and the ways of achieving this have been evolving differently. During the first year, while studying in high school, they started to create music in an old barn in the countryside outside the town of Jönköping. The first demo ‘Killerwhale EP’ was sold out, spread all over the world and the band got the chance to make numerous shows around Sweden after being selected as “Rookies of 2005″ by Hultsfredfestivalen. After finishing high school the band signed with And The Sound Records, moved to Gothenburg and got two other friends who joined the band, David Lillberg and Jonatan Josefsson. The debut album “They’ll Come, They Come” was released in 2007 and was followed by the first tours in Europe the next year.

Together with the labelmates in EF, the band took over And The Sound Records, made it completely independent and runned by the artists themselves with licensing- and distribution partners all over the world. The second album “Moen” was released in late 2009 and the band continued to focus on making live shows all over Europe. With 200 concerts in 27 countries for the last years, the band has gained a growing reputation to be one of the most promising bands from Scandinavia today. As a result of hard work, heavy touring and three well received albums; established magazines and medias (Visions, Rolling Stone, Aftonbladet, Metro, Uncle Sally’s, Vodafone Live, Eclipsed and many more) also started to pay attention to Immanu El.

With a lot of new inspiration and experience from earlier adventures, the band recorded their third album “IN PASSAGE” together with their old friend Kristian Karlsson from P.G Lost in Norrköping. The album was released in October 29th 2011 and became a great success, a huge step forward for the band with a wide and successful media coverage worldwide. Release tours have been following in Europe as well as a first tour Asia, where the band is gaining a lot of attention right now. Several new tours and festivals are planned for 2012 & 2014 in North America, Asia and Europe.

”Swedish postrock romanticism or hauntingly whispering hover-pop. Sigur Rós without fairy-tale forest” – ROLLING STONE

“One of the biggest Swedish pop-hopes right now” – METRO

“Immanu El is not only a project but – as sentimental as it might sound – an affair of the heart.” – VISIONS

“Having their roots in shoegaze, dreampop and post rock, the result sparkles with majestic understatement.” – MOTOR.DE

“Immanu El excels in a myriad respects throughout. Absolutely brilliant.” – IT’S A TRAP!

“Album of the week (MOEN). The closeness of atmospheric pop is the secret of Immanu El. They come they come!” – VODAFONE LIVE

“Confronts the listener with a successful mixture of discreet stately parts and eruptive moments. We recommend Immanu El for fans of well made experimental pop music.” – ECLIPSED

“If I think of Scandinavian postrock, Immanu El always belongs in the front row” – WHITE TAPES

Members

Claes Strängberg – Vocals, guitar
Per Strängberg – Guitar, 2nd vocals
Emil Karlsson – Bass
Jonatan Josefsson – Drums
David Lillberg – Keyboard, samples, guitar

Releases

• In Passage (2011)
• Moen (2009)
• They’ll Come, They Come (2007)