Blues Pills

Blues Pills

Blues Pills is a Swedish rock group formed in 2011 and based in Ames, Sweden. The band’s line-up includes Elin Larsson, Zack Anderson, Cory Berry, Dorian Sorriaux, André Kvarnström and Kristoffer Schander. Its music is described through blues, blues rock, hard rock, psychedelic rock, rock and soul influences.

Formation and early releases

The group begins with half-brothers Zack Anderson, who plays bass, and Cory Berry, who plays drums, both formerly of Radio Moscow. They meet singer Elin Larsson in 2011, record two demo tracks and upload them to YouTube. After that, Crusher Records offers the band a deal. The name comes from a blog run by their friend Jens Heide, BluesPillz, which focuses on obscure 1960s and 1970s underground music.

Blues Pills release the EP Bliss in May 2012, followed by the single Black Smoke in July. In 2013 they tour widely and appear at Desertfest in Berlin, Void Fest in Bad Kötzting, Yellowstock Festival in Geel, Crossroads Festival in Bonn and Cherry Rock Festival in Melbourne. They also release the Devil Man EP in October 2013 after signing with Nuclear Blast in July that year.

Albums and label work

The band signs to German label Nuclear Blast and releases its self-titled debut album Blues Pills in 2014. A special edition includes a DVD of the group’s appearance at Hammer of Doom from the previous year. Shortly after the album’s release, Cory Berry is replaced on drums by André Kvarnström.

The debut album reaches No. 4 in Germany, No. 10 in Switzerland and No. 68 in the UK. In 2014 the band also appears at Sweden Rock Festival, Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen and Montreux Jazz Festival. Their Crossroads Festival performance is issued as the Live at Rockpalast EP in 2014.

Later releases

Blues Pills release their second album, Lady in Gold, in 2016 through Nuclear Blast Records. Their studio albums also include Holy Moly! from 2020 and Birthday from 2024.