Miike Snow

Miike Snow was an indie pop and electronic band formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 2007. The band was comprised of duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (also a production team under the name Bloodshy & Avant) plus singer-songwriter Andrew Wyatt. Karlsson and Winnberg were childhood friends in Sweden, and collaborated on music for most of their life. As Bloodshy & Avant, they found great solo success and mainstream popularity as producers and songwriters for artists like Madonna and Britney Spears, including winning a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for "Toxic" by Spears. Wyatt fronted bands like The A.M. and Black Beetle in addition to working solo, and met Karlsson and Winnberg in Sweden while the pair were working on music for Spears in 2004. The three made a connection, and officially formed three years later. The band's name, contrary to popular belief, was not inspired by Japanese director Takashi Miike, although the band came out on record saying they enjoy his work. Miike Snow's name derived from its members' mutual friendship with a man named Mike Snow, and they thought the extra "I" looked good. Two years after forming, the band put out their debut album, Miike Snow, in 2009. The album received great critical attention and built the foundation of a fanbase. The band's profile grew as they remixed artists like Depeche Mode and Passion Pit, and were remixed in turn by artists such as Mark Ronson and Tiga. Their sophomore record, Happy to You, was released in 2012, to greater commercial and critical success. In anticipation of the tour for the album, Miike Snow and the Swedish electronics lab Teenage Engineering collaborated on "The Blob," a hexagonal synthesizer to be played on tour in order to avoid using laptops. After the tour and a three-year hiatus, the band confirmed work on their new album in 2015, which saw release in 2016 as iii. It received generally favorable reviews, and was supported by a large tour of major music festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella.