The Raveonettes

Biography

The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals. Their music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly Brothers coupled with hard-edged electric guitar overlaid with liberal doses of noise. Their songs juxtapose the structural and chordal simplicity of 1950s and 1960s rock with intense electric instrumentation, driving beats, and often dark lyrical content (e.g., crime, drugs, murder, suicide, love, lust, and betrayal), drawing from another of the band's influences, The Velvet Underground.

Early years

The duo met in Copenhagen and, after forming the band, began recording Whip It On at Once Was & Sauna Recording Studio, a former Sony Studios facility. They booked the studio for three weeks during non-session down time late in 2001 and handled all production chores themselves. Adding guitarist Manoj Ramdas and jazz drummer Jakob Hoyer, The Raveonettes booked one of their first gigs at the SPOT festival in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark. After the release of Whip It On on the seminal Danish Crunchy Frog label, Hoyer and Ramdas would contribute to the next three Raveonettes albums, along with other additional musicians. However, by the time Lust Lust Lust was released in 2007, Sune and Sharin would be the only two musicians credited, showing a return to the dynamic around the time of the mini-album.
Officially,the band was discovered by Rolling Stone editor David Fricke at the SPOT festival, and his rave review of the duo immediately resulted in a number of offers from major labels. Unofficially, the band discovered that David Fricke would be present at the SPOT festival, and they rushed a band together and headed for the festival. The band is managed by Richard Gottehrer, who has been with them from the start.
Whip It On was named "Best Rock Album of the Year" at the Danish Music Awards (Denmark's Grammy equivalent) on 1 March 2003, while The Raveonettes were picked by Rolling Stone and Q Magazine as being among the harbingers of the "Next Wave" of contemporary music.
In 2006, Blender named Sharin Foo one of rock's hottest women, alongside Courtney Love, Joan Jett and Liz Phair.

Chain Gang of Love

The band's first full-length album, Chain Gang of Love×Chain Gang of Love24 July 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Remember2:402That Great Love Sound3:163Noisy Summer2:244The Love Gang2:165Let’s Rave On1:556Dirty Eyes (Sex Don’t Sell)2:267Love Can Destroy Everything2:538Heartbreak Stroll2:269Little Animal3:0910Untamed Girls1:4411Chain Gang of Love2:3612The Truth About Johnny2:3613New York Was Great2:4814C’mon Everybody2:27, was produced by Richard Gottehrer and The Raveonettes' own Sune Rose Wagner. The album was recorded in Denmark and New York from 9–17 October, 6–12 November, and 4–10 December 2002, and mixed in London in early 2003. The thirteen songs on Chain Gang of Love are written by Sune Rose Wagner with the exception of "That Great Love Sound×That Great Love Sound18 August 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1That Great Love Sound3:182Untamed Girls1:473Get Lost2:234C'mon Everybody2:265That Great Love Sound", which Sune co-wrote with Gottehrer. Portions of this song were featured in a U.S. ad for Kmart. The album is notable in that all the songs were written in the key B-flat major.

Pretty in Black

The band's follow-up album, Pretty in Black×Pretty in Black3 May 2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1The Heavens3:552Seductress of Bums3:503Love in a Trashcan2:524Sleepwalking3:295Uncertain Times3:586My Boyfriend’s Back2:397Here Comes Mary3:028Red Tan3:489Twilight3:3510Somewhere in Texas4:2811You Say You Lie2:5512Ode to L.A.3:1813If I Was Young2:46, broadened their musical palette, featuring guest vocals from Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes as well as guest instrumental spots from Maureen Tucker (of The Velvet Underground) and Martin Rev (of Suicide). This was their first album in which Sharin Foo did not play bass; instead, The Raveonettes added bass player Anders Christensen, who had toured with seminal jazz drummer Paul Motian, amongst others. Christensen recorded on the album and toured with the band. At the end of the 2005 tour, guitar player Manoj Ramdas left the band to concentrate on his new band SPEKTR.
The video for the single "Love in a Trashcan×Love in a Trashcan5 July 2005 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Love in a Trashcan2:542Vamp Scratch Whore (Rough mix)2:543Love in a Trashcan (Dreadnaught remix)5:024Love in a Trashcan (Trashed Wiz Love by Funkstörung)3:295Love in a Trashcan (video)", directed by Peder Pedersen, features pink bars and blocks with words like "Vamp" and "Teaser" scrolling by the band members, and is reminiscent of an early-1960s cosmetic ad.

Lust Lust Lust

The duo's third studio album, Lust Lust Lust×Lust Lust Lust5 November 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Aly, Walk With Me4:582Hallucinations2:593Lust3:384Dead Sound3:335Black Satin2:396Blush3:177Expelled From Love3:158You Want the Candy3:079Blitzed3:0310Sad Transmission3:0811With My Eyes Closed3:3112The Beat Dies3:42, was released in November 2007 in Europe and February 2008 in the U.S. The album received generally positive reviews, with the NME's Hardeep Phull describing it as "their most engrossing album."
In December 2008, Sune Rose Wagner released a solo album, simply titled Sune Rose Wagner. All of the songs are sung in his native language of Danish.

In and Out of Control

The Raveonettes' fourth album, In and Out of Control×In and out of Control5 October 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Bang!2:532Gone Forever3:353Last Dance3:474Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)3:035Heart of Stone3:556Oh, I Buried You Today1:217Suicide3:138D.R.U.G.S.4:309Breaking Into Cars3:0710Break Up Girls!4:0011Wine3:40, was released 6 October 2009, with "Last Dance×Last Dance2009 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Last Dance" released as the lead-off single. The album was co-written and produced by Thomas Troelsen. Both "Last Dance" and "Suicide", another song from the album, have been featured on The CW's Gossip Girl.

Raven in the Grave

Raven in the Grave, The Raveonettes' fifth album, was released 4 April 2011. The album has produced three singles to date.

Observator

The duo released a new album, titled Observator×Observator10 September 2012 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Young and Cold3:222Observations4:303Curse the Night3:214The Enemy3:415Sinking With the Sun3:326She Owns the Streets3:027Downtown2:498You Hit Me (I’m Down)3:459Till the End3:17, on 11 September 2012. The lead single 'Observations' was released 25 June. The second single 'She Owns the Streets' was released 9 July.

Pe'ahi

The band's seventh album, Pe'ahi, was released 22 July 2014. Due to the purposeful lack of promotion or formal announcement of a release date the album was dubbed a "surprise" release.

2016 Atomized (Anti-Album), hiatus, return and The Raveonettes Sing…

In 2015 the band announced the Rave-Sound-of-the-Month saying that in every month of 2016 the band were recording and releasing a new song. Dubbed by the band as the Anti-Album, the twelve songs were released individually for download online in each month of the year and were released 21 April 2017 as a full album titled 2016 Atomized×2016 Atomized21 April 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1This World Is Empty (Without You)2:212Run Mascara Run2:573EXCUSES3:414Junko Ozawa2:545Scout4:116Won’t You Leave Me Alone3:237Where Are You Wild Horses3:158A Good Fight3:259This Is Where It Ends2:4610Choke on Love2:1911Fast Food3:5012PENDEJO12:00.
In March 2018 the band released a song called "Ghost×Ghost16 March 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Ghost3:03", recorded during the 2016 Atomized project.
The duo then went on an "indefinite hiatus" to allow Sune to release a solo album in 2018, though this never materialized.
In November 2020, the band released the song "Snowstorm×Snowstorm6 November 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Snowstorm2:31", their first release in over two years. The band returned to touring in 2022, performing their EP Whip It On×Whip It On27 May 2002 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Attack of the Ghost Riders2:332Veronica Fever2:403Do You Believe Her2:094Chains2:395Cops on Our Tail3:016My Tornado2:087Bowels of the Beast3:168Beat City3:13 in full at various festivals throughout the summer as well as a tour at the end of the year. New music is also in the works, with a new album completed in late 2023. The band released their ninth studio album, The Raveonettes Sing…×Sing…19 July 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1I Love How You Love Me2:052Goo Goo Muck2:233The Girl on Death Row2:464All I Have to Do Is Dream2:035Will You Love Me Tomorrow2:326Venus in Furs3:527Wishing2:188Return of the Grievous Angel4:149Shakin’ All Over2:4910Leader of the Pack2:5611The Kids Are Alright2:3312The End3:23, on 19 July 2024. The album, according to the press release, is a "collection of some of the songs that inspired us to start the band". The album's release was preceded by its first single, a cover of the Gram Parsons song, "Return of the Grievous Angel×Return of the Grievous Angel17 May 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Return of the Grievous Angel4:14", on 17 May 2024. The album's second single, a cover of The Everly Brothers song "All I Have to Do Is Dream×All I Have to Do Is Dream29 May 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1All I Have to Do Is Dream2:03", was released on 29 May 2024.

Pe'ahi II

The band's tenth studio album, Pe'ahi II, was released on 25 April 2025. It continues the thematic thread of their 2014 album Pe'ahi, which explores themes of life's fragility, death, longing, and vulnerability. The album was recorded in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Copenhagen. The album's first single, "Blackest×BLACKEST28 February 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1BLACKEST3:33", was released on 28 February 2025. The album's second single, "Killer×Killer28 March 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Killer5:47", was released on 28 March 2025.

Chain Gang of Love line-up

Sune Rose Wagner: guitars and vocals
Sharin Foo: bass and vocals
Manoj Ramdas: guitars
Jakob Hoyer: drums

Pretty in Black line-up

Sune Rose Wagner: guitars, vocals, synth, percussion, drums, bass, and programming
Sharin Foo: vocals and percussion
Jakob Hoyer: drums and percussion
Anders Christensen: bass, percussion, and organ
Manoj Ramdas: guitar

Subsequent line-up

Sune Rose Wagner: instruments and vocals
Sharin Foo: vocals

Studio albums

Notes
1 Lust Lust Lust×Lust Lust Lust5 November 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Aly, Walk With Me4:582Hallucinations2:593Lust3:384Dead Sound3:335Black Satin2:396Blush3:177Expelled From Love3:158You Want the Candy3:079Blitzed3:0310Sad Transmission3:0811With My Eyes Closed3:3112The Beat Dies3:42's inclusion of 3D glasses rendered it ineligible for the UK Albums Chart.

EPs

Whip It On (6 August 2002) (UK No. 114)
Sometimes They Drop By (23 September 2008)
Beauty Dies (21 October 2008)
Wishing You a Rave Christmas (25 November 2008)
Into the Night (24 April 2012) (DEN No. 36)
The End (23 July 2015)

Soundtracks and compilations

FIFA 2004 (2003) with "That Great Love Sound×That Great Love Sound18 August 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1That Great Love Sound3:182Untamed Girls1:473Get Lost2:234C'mon Everybody2:265That Great Love Sound"
Driv3r (2004) with "Bowels of the Beast"
Maybe This Christmas Tree, "The Christmas Song×The Christmas Song22 December 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1The Christmas Song2:122The Christmas Song (alternative version)2:06" (2004)
Stubbs the Zombie: The Soundtrack (2005) with "My Boyfriend's Back" (cover of The Angels' #1 hit)
Nordkraft – Original Soundtrack (2005) with "Beat City"
Amnesty International's Instant Karma (2007) with "One Day at a Time" (John Lennon cover, download only)
Whip It! Soundtrack (2009) with "Dead Sound×Dead SoundOctober 2007 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Dead Sound3:352Honey, I Never Had You3:11"
Drive Angry Soundtrack (2011) with "You Want the Candy×You Want the Candy25 February 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAYou Want the CandyBForever in Your Arms"
Batman: Arkham City (2011) with "Oh, Stranger"
Catch .44 Soundtrack (2011) with "Dead Sound"
Van God Los de serie (2012) with "Evil Seeds"
Lockout (2012) with "Beat City"
A Psych Tribute to the Doors (2014) with "The End×The End23 July 2015 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1The End3:232The Kids Are Alright2:333Blood in the Water (remix)5:074Loyalty Sport (remix)4:48" (The Doors cover)
American Honey (2016) with "Recharge & Revolt×Recharge & Revolt7 March 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Recharge & Revolt5:23"
Can't Get You Out of My Head (2021) with "Recharge & Revolt"