In late 2019, singer-songwriters Joakim Lövgren and Åke Strömberg (first name pronounced like the word Ókay), released the self-titled album debut by their band Mudfish. Upon first hearing it, another recent Swedish band called Bonefish came to mind as both bands are from Sweden, are friends with each other and share a great exuberance for the joys of modern day rock filled with a catchy, yet edgy pop side. In the past decade, Sweden has embraced an affinity for Americana and West Coast pop and rock sounds, evidenced in part by a number of bands and artists that both Joakim and Åke have worked with through their Paraply Records record company. With hooks a-plenty and an upbeat rock attitude, Mudfish reveals yet another side to the Paraply label with this first Mudfish album. After all, the word Paraply translates to “umbrella” in English and at least from a label perspective, it’s good to be inclusive of a range of music that covers different musical genres. Speaking about the unique history of their acclaimed label, Mudfish explain, “The first proper release was Carried Away with Klas Qvist in 2004. Up till today we have issued 30 albums/EPs on Paraply Records. The closest to a label M.O. might be "music we like" or "acts we find interesting". If we don’t agree to a release, there will be no deal.” There’s a kind of a Rolling Stones inspired party atmosphere on the Mudfish album, with a sound that also brings back the upbeat energy of the post-Beatles, late 1970s Euro-rock era espoused by bands like Boomtown Rats and Holland’s great alt-rock legends Gruppo Sportivo. On this 2019 Mudfish album, Joakim and Åke receive fine support from their Mudfish bandmates and, with nine tracks clocking in around 33 minutes, the six-piece band strikes a chord for the modern day, post-punk and power pop genres. As the owners of the internationally acclaimed Paraply label, Joakim and Åke are seasoned pros on the 21st century Swedish music scene and they bring that same high level and approach forward on the debut album from Mudfish.