Rarely does an artist signed to Sub Pop, the label that
broke Nirvana, come to State College from Sweden, the
home of ABBA, with a style that compares to that of the Beach Boys.

But that's what Loney, Dear -- the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Emil Svanängen -- will do Sunday when the band plays an all-ages Roustabout! at Chronic Town along with Pennsylvania bands Dr. Horsemachine and the Moneynotes, and Endless Mike and the Beagle Club.

Svanängen said his first American tour has been a source of new experiences for him.

"We haven't really been playing in Sweden, so it's hard for me to see a difference there," he said. "But we've been very well received in the States."

Svanängen, whose music combines Swedish pop and folk influences, said he hadn't been introduced to American music until recent years.

"I think I never felt something with American music before, but recently I've found an interest in folk music," he said. "Maybe in later years, I've been influenced by American music, I guess."

Jeff Van Fossan, Roustabout! organizer, said he is a big fan of the band's new record, Loney, Noir.

"I really like that record a lot," Van Fossan said. "It's one of my favorite of the year."

Jesse Ruegg, promoter of Roustabout!, said he and
Van Fossan were originally worried about the translation of Loney, Dear's records to a live show.

However, after seeing the band live in New York last month, their worries were laid to rest, Van Fossan said.

"I breathed a big sigh of relief because they were easily as good as the recordings," Van Fossan said. "He does all the recordings himself, so you never know how a band like that's going to translate into a live setting. That's the true testament of an amazing artist to have a live version of a song and a recorded version stand on their own."

Critics have agreed that Loney, Dear's records stand on their own, with all the releases gaining critical success.

Van Fossan said the supporting bands, Dr. Horsemachine, from Scranton, and Endless Mike, from Johnstown, were selected because of their Americana flavors.

"I decided to go with bands outside of State College, but I wanted to go with Pennsylvania bands," he said. "I wanted bands that constituted what I thought was Americana rock n' roll. Indie folk rock has an American quality. Both Dr. Horsemachine and Endless Mike, they've got lots of members.

Depending on when they play, they might have four or five members, or seven or eight members."