With the third album, First Band On the Moon,
The Cardigans have announced their arrival as a popband with expanded
views, audience, and musical visions.
First Band On the Moon
was released all over Europe, Japan and Asia in September 1996. The first
single from the album, Lovefool, immediately gained massive MTV airplay
and charted high worldwide. In Japan, the album sold more than 300.000 copies
in just seven days, making them the best selling international artist, and
has already broken the one and a half million limit worldwide.
First Band On the Moon,
as the two previous albums, is recorded in the soon-to-be legendary Tambourine
Studios in Malmö in the south of Sweden, and produced by Tore Johansson.
As for the first two albums Peter has composed the music and Magnus the lyrics.
However, First Band On the Moon introduces Nina as a lyrical contributor,
writing half of the songs.
In the five years since the band started in
Jönköping, central southern Sweden, The Cardigans have taken
gradual steps toward international recognition. While the debut album
Emmerdale (1994) placed the band on the national music map in Sweden,
the follow-up Life (1995) took the band into the charts in Japan, US and
the United Kingdom. Each and every single from Life reached Top-40
in the UK, and the hit single Carnival went No.1 in Japan, Iceland
and Mexico. The re-recording and re-release of Rise & Shine also
faced chart success all over the world. Emmerdale has sold 200.000
copies worldwide. Life has sold 1.5 million.