“And now for something completely different…”

For nearly two decades Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson ruled the international charts with Roxette, churning out hits so infectious that they are still being played in a radio near you. “It Must Have Been Love” and “Listen To Your Heart” have both been played well over 4 000 000 times each on American radio stations alone. Four US #1 records (“The Look”, “Listen To Your Heart”, “It Must Have Been Love” and “Joyride”) secured Roxette’s place in Swedish as well as international pop history.

When Marie Fredriksson was diagnosed with brain tumour in 2002, Roxette was put on hold and Per instead put his creative energy into a Swedish solo career. He made a comeback in his native Swedish language with the acclaimed and hugely successful solo album “Mazarin” in 2003, following this with an even bigger comeback with his former power pop group Gyllene Tider the year after. The group’s Swedish arena summer tour drew close to half a million people (in a country of nine million), ending up as the biggest tour in Europe 2004. In 2007 he returned as a solo artist with the album “En händig man” and a summer tour (which again became the biggest tour in Sweden that year).

In between his Swedish projects he sneaked a debut album of sorts under the moniker “Son Of A Plumber”, a double album filled to the brim with pop songs inspired by his favourite records from the late ’60s and early ’70s.

But now he’s back where he started, with an international album filled with the kind of melodic hooks that once brought him international fame as a songwriter and artist.

“Party Crasher” is Per Gessle in his most inspired songwriting mode. Twelve songs spiced up by a playful production with an eye on the best dance music of the late ’70s and early ’80s.

Groove before melody

With a smile, Per says:

Normally I always write a song with the melody as the main thing, but this time I decided to start with a groove and let the song evolve from that – almost like when I wrote a little ditty called “The Look” once upon a time.

I really felt I needed a change of direction, having done all my Swedish albums in a very organic style. I decided to write short and concise songs based on all those grooves and dance music hits that I’ve loved throughout the years. No power chords, no rock – but keeping the melodies and the choruses, the kind of ingredients that makes music tick for me.

The result is a highly varied album that has a lot more to offer than frenzied dance pop tunes like the first single “Silly Really”. Here are also the thoughtful and slightly melancholic ballads with the kind of melodies that will stick in the back of your head when you least expect it. But what does it take to get the pop maestro himself up on the dance floor?

Quite a lot, unfortunately – I belong to a generation of guys who thought it slightly ridiculous to dance. But I basically think that you can dance to anything: I’m just as likely up on the dance floor to The Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” as to Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby”.

Machines and disco

Since Roxette took a break after “Room Service” in 2001 Per has recorded every album at producer Christoffer Lundqvist’s studio in Vallarum, in the south Swedish countryside. The studio is a retro dream filled to the brim with old tube amplifiers, mellotrons, organs and everything else that have made an impact on records during five decades of rock’n’roll music. This has of course coloured Per’s records which sound warm, organic and slightly hippified.

On “Party Crasher”, however, synthesizers, vintage moogs and other machines have replaced this analog production philosophy in order to get that classic ’70s/’80s dance beat going.

When I wrote “Silly Really” my idea was to write a vintage disco tune with a lot of consonants in the choruses. “Silly Really” gave the album its direction. I kept my old gang – producers Clarence Öfwerman and Christoffer Lundqvist plus extraordinary singer Helena Josefsson – and then we started by doing everything different from what we were used to. It was great fun and very creative.

“Helena adds magic”

Producer Clarence Öfwerman has worked with Per since the Roxette debut “Pearls Of Passion” in 1986 with Christoffer joining the group in the late ‘90s. Singer Helena Josefsson came on board during the “Mazarin” sessions in 2003 and has become an integral part of Per’s recent sound.

Helena’s and my voice work great together. But it’s not just what she sings, she adds so much energy and magic as a person – whenever she’s in the room something inspiring happens. I very often gave her free hands. “Sing what you want” – and some times I adjusted the songs to fit in with her improvisations.

Despite its title “Party Crasher” is not just a disco machine. Sure, here’s plenty of up-tempo pop hits, but there’s also space for the kind of beautiful and melodic ballads that is Per’s hallmark as a songwriter. The ballad “Sing Along” can make you think of Roxette’s most melancholy moments. “Stuck Here With Me” highlights the underrated falsetto singer Per Gessle while mid tempo tunes like “Doesn’t Make Sense” and “Kissing Is The Key” explores new angles on his song writing.

Going all the way

Ever since he started sending out cassette tapes of his first songs in the late ’70s, Per Gessle has always been the kind of guy who refuses to do anything half-heartedly. When “Party Crasher” was in its final mixing stage, the will to create the best possible result and challenge himself all the way resulted in Per scrapping five songs and writing four more. Two of the new songs – “The Party Pleaser” and “Gut Feeling” – made the album.

I just had a feeling the album was on the verge of becoming too slow, so I decided to write some more up-tempo tunes. I’ve always had that drive to make things as well as they possibly can be, and I’m glad I still got it. It’s so easy to lean back and say, “yep, album’s finished, job done” – but if I feel things can get a little bit better I have to go for it. The same thing has happened many times before, for example when I at the last minute wrote “Sleeping In My Car” for Roxette’s “Crash! Boom! Bang!” album, which gave that album a different – and better – tone.

With “Party Crasher”, one of pop music’s most successful secrets returns in top form. Once again Per Gessle has managed to combine his pop sensibility and inspired craftsmanship with a will to challenge himself and his music. As they used to say: “fuck art, let’s dance”.