Peter Bjorn and John

Morén and Yttling began playing music with each other while in school. They shared an interest in bands such as The Stone Roses and Ride, and would draw inspiration from acts they heard on the radio while growing up, including Depeche Mode, Fleetwood Mac and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).[4] They are also influenced by, but not interested in replicating, classic '60s baroque pop, power pop and new wave.[5] Their first band Piggy In The Middle released the album Images & Distorted Facts in 1997[6] before disbanding after Morén and Yttling moved to Stockholm, whereupon they met Eriksson in 1999. Their first gig as Peter Bjorn and John was an unsuccessful one aboard a boat in Stockholm; their expectations were not high from the start, as they "just wanted to make good music for [their] own amusement".[7]

After releasing the Forbidden Chords EP and the singles "Failing and Passing" and "I Don't Know What I Want Us to Do", the band released its self-titled first album in 2002 on the tiny Beat That! label. After more shows, the EPs People They Know and 100m of Hurdles, and the "See Through" single, the group jumped to the Planekonomi label in 2004 and released the Beats, Traps, and Backgrounds EP. It was soon followed by the 2004 album Falling Out, which was picked up for American release by Hidden Adenda in late 2005.[8]

The band's third album, Writer's Block (2006), became a minor international hit. The video to their song "Young Folks" was animated and directed by Ted Malmros of the Swedish indie pop band Shout Out Louds.[9]

After completing various tours in support of Writer's Block, the band focused on other projects before coming together to record and release a largely instrumental album, Seaside Rock, in the autumn of 2008. Living Thing, the band's darker, more experimental fourth full-length album, was released several months later in early 2009. Peter Bjorn and John played Lollapalooza 2009 in Chicago.[10] In 2011, Peter Bjorn and John returned to their melodic pop roots with the decidedly more accessible Gimme Some. The band also opened up for Depeche Mode during their Tour of the Universe.[8] Gimme Some's second single "Second Chance" is heard prominently in advertising for the American light beer Bud Light and as the theme song for the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls.

The three band members are founding members of the Swedish artist collective and record label INGRID, founded in 2012; the collective's first compilation, Ingrid Volym 1, was released on Record Store Day 2012.

In March 2014, the band revealed that work had commenced on their seventh album, but that they had been beset with creative setbacks.[11]

In April 2015, they released their first new music in four years, the one-off single "High Up (Take Me to the Top)", on INGRID Volym 2, a Record Store Day-exclusive double-LP, limited to 500 copies.[12] In July 2015, the band debuted two new songs on NPR.[13]

On 11 March 2016, they announced their forthcoming LP, Breakin' Point, along with the promotional single "What You Talking About?",[14] which Rolling Stone called "an infectious slice of synth-heavy indie pop." The album was released on 10 June 2016.[15] Bearing the same name as the album, the album's first lead single "Breakin' Point" was released on 24 March 2016, after being premiered by Zane Lowe on Apple's Beats 1 Radio as the World Record.

In August 2018, the band announced the upcoming release of their eighth album, Darker Days, which was released on 19 October 2018.[16]

On 22 February 2019, the band released EPBJ, a follow-up EP to Darker Days, featuring three new songs recorded during the Darker Days sessions that "showcase a softer and more introspective side of the band."[17] The band also released audio of a live, three-song studio session recorded at INGRID Studios in Stockholm.

On 18 October 2019, the band announced their ninth studio album, Endless Dream, and released the single "Rusty Nail". The album was released on 13 March 2020.[18]

• Acoustic 07 (2007, V2 Records)