VANGUARD was founded in 2008 by two Swedes, Jonas Olofsson (synthesizer, electronic drums) and Patrik Hansson (vocals, synthesizer), after they met online in a musicians’ forum.
With their catchy, club-ready electropop combined with harmonious vocals in the best Swedish (synthpop) tradition, VANGUARD are one of the fastest-rising stars on the electro scene and have quickly gained a large fan base. They sound very fresh and unspent, combining the charm of the 80s with modern soundscapes and impressively convincing with both slower songs and uptempo club tracks.
After initially producing only their first demo songs together, they released their first album, “Sanctuary,” in May 2012 via Conzoom Records. “Goodbye” followed in December 2012 as their first single and also their first music video. Shortly thereafter, another single from the album, “Shine,” was released.
The band released their second album, “Retribution,” in February 2014. The singles “On My Own,” “Let Us Fall,” and “A Brighter Day” were released from this album. This album was an important step in further developing the band’s own sound.
In fall 2015, VANGUARD signed with the renowned scene label Infacted Recordings and made an impressive comeback with their new single “I Want To Live.” The album “Never Surrender” was released in May 2016 and was met with enthusiasm by the synthpop faction. With “A Different Story,” they released another single with an accompanying music video. At this time, they also began their ongoing collaboration with successful producer Rob Dust (remixer for Camouflage, Chrom, Frozen Plasma, Torul, Joachim Witt, and many others), who produced “Never Surrender” and left his unmistakable mark on the songs.
VANGUARD have also been very active live since then, playing numerous club shows and festival gigs. They gained many new fans, especially during their joint concerts with Solitary Experiments and on the “Hybridize Tour 2019” with Eisfabrik, Funker Vogt, and Agonoize.
VANGUARD used the time of the ubiquitous lockdown creatively to write and produce new songs. In 2022, they released three new club singles, “Ragnarök,” “Inside,” and “Move Out,” and most recently their new album, “Spectrum.”
VANGUARD are ready and have the very best prerequisites to earn themselves a permanent place within the electro scene. We can certainly expect a lot more from this likeable duo!
