Dungen

From the Hellacopters to the Hives, Swedish rock bands have been getting a good amount of buzz for well more than a decade now. And since Dungen is only the latest in a long line of European acts with an American cult following, it’s finally hitting our shores frontloaded not only with word-of-mouth hipster cred, but plenty to live up to as well. The kicker, though, is that Dungen is essentially a one-man band. Sure, twentysomething Gustav Ejstes rounded up several stellar players to join him in the studio, and recruited a full band (including mind-blowing lead guitarist Reine Fiske) for the tour, but he also wrote, sang and recorded Ta Det Lugnt himself, playing guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, fiddle and flute. The result — a gorgeously layered, harmony-drenched body of explosive psychedelia that goes on a few dynamic tangents, from free jazz to dreamy folk — is one man’s intricate head trip. Thankfully, he’s letting us in on it.