Millencolin

Millencolin are a punk rock band from Örebro, Sweden, active since 1992. The group consists of Nikola Sarcevic, Mathias Färm, Erik Ohlsson and Fredrik Larzon, and is associated with punk, punk rock and skate punk. They are signed to Burning Heart Records.

Formation and early releases

The band forms in October 1992, when Nikola Šarčević, Mathias Färm and Erik Ohlsson start playing together in Örebro. Fredrik Larzon joins in early 1993, after which Färm moves from drums to second guitar. The name Millencolin comes from the skateboard trick “melancholy”.

The original trio records the first demo tape, Goofy, in early 1993. Later that summer the band records a second demo, Melack, and sends it to Burning Heart Records. The label signs them for a CD single, leading to the release of Use Your Nose in November 1993.

After the single performs well, Burning Heart releases the band’s first full album. In 1994 the band issues Tiny Tunes, recorded and mixed in two weeks. Legal issues with Warner Brothers over the title and artwork lead to a 1996 reissue under the name Same Old Tunes. Also in 1994, Skauch appears as an EP after the band adds four cover versions to material that was originally intended as a single.

Albums and touring

Life on a Plate follows in 1995, and this period marks the start of touring outside Scandinavia. At the end of 1995, Epitaph releases the album in the US, and the band then tours in Japan, Australia, Brazil and Canada. Millencolin also appears on the 1997 Warped Tour.

Later releases include For Monkeys and the compilation The Melancholy Collection. The band’s profile grows further with Pennybridge Pioneers in 2000, an album that has a stronger rock influence than their earlier skate punk and ska punk material. The recording takes six weeks, and the release is followed by the group’s first major worldwide tour. The band plays in Wellington, New Zealand, then tours Australia, which brings forward the album’s release in Australia and New Zealand.

Home from Home follows in 2002, written while the band is on tour. In 2005, Kingwood returns to a faster, more traditional punk rock sound and reaches No. 2 in the Swedish charts. The band completes a world tour in support of the album. In 2007, Millencolin begins writing and recording its seventh album, Machine 15.

Other projects, awards and events

In 2003, Millencolin receives the Best Swedish Rock award from the Swedish Hit Awards. Nikola Šarčević also releases a second solo album, Roll Roll and Flee, while Mathias Färm works on the side project Franky Lee.

The band writes and releases Örebro in 2009 as a tribute to the local football club Örebro SK. The song is first played at the club’s stadium during a home match against Hammarby Fotboll.

Millencolin organises the Millencolin Open, a skateboard contest held at the band’s own skatepark in Örebro. In 2012, the group marks 20 years together with the two-day Millencolin 20 Year Festival at Brunnsparken in Örebro, featuring exclusive sets, other Swedish and international acts, a skate contest, camping and a temporary festival site with food and drinks. The compilation The Melancholy Connection is released that year, collecting B-sides from Pennybridge Pioneers onwards and including a DVD documentary about the previous decade of the band.

In 2015, the band announces True Brew, with the track “Sense & Sensibility” previewed before release.