Following the Cardigans' international breakthrough in 1997, vocalist Nina Persson launched an experimental side project with the help of Atomic Swing's Niclas Frisk. The duo named itself A Camp and quickly recorded a series of songs, but the project was temporarily shelved when Persson returned to the road in support of the Cardigans' fourth album, Gran Turismo. By 2000, Persson had moved to New York City with her future husband, Shudder to Think's Nathan Larson. Nevertheless, A Camp resumed schedule, with Larson joining the lineup and Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous climbing aboard as producer.
That Fall, A Camp decamped to upstate New York to record their self-titled debut album. Having previously played guitar with Shudder to Think, Larson opted to handle the bass instead, leaving regular guitar duties to Frisk. The trio's quirky, sweet sound proved to be quite popular in Sweden, where the album won four Swedish Grammys. A Camp then took another extended break, this time waiting upwards of five years before reconvening in 2007 to record a second album. Inspired by David Bowie and 1960s girl groups, Colonia was finished within a year and slated for release in early 2009.
MacKenzie Wilson
AllMusic.com
