Private Jets Private Jets is a power pop quartet from Sweden, founded in 2001 by twin brothers Erik Westin and Per Westin.

The band started out as a song writing project, the brothers curious to see if they could mix their influences of pop, rock and jazz into their own brand of power pop with ambiguous lyrics and smart arrangements. When pushed by pop enthusiasts to record some of the songs, they realized that they had to put a band together. Janne Hellman was recruited as lead vocalist together with Mikael Olsson on bass, Olsson who had previous worked with the brothers in the hi-speed pop outfit Revolver Bop Agents.

First release Private Jets released the debut EP “A Four Leaf Clover in E-Major” on May 27, 2002 on Sparkplug Records. It contained four songs and a short snippet and was well received by the power pop community. The songs were written, arranged, produced and to a large extent performed by the brothers. Lead vocals was provided by Janne Hellman on all tracks and Olsson played bass on the song Millionseller.

In a radio interview on Swedish Radio, Erik Westin explained that the band were basically writing what they wanted to hear but couldn't really seem to find anywhere. He also said that the ambition with the band is to write the ultimate pop song over and over again.

Second release After the release of “A Four Leaf Clover in E-Major” the brothers started to work on a new album. The band bio states that they wrote 43 new songs to be able to make an album filled with singles only. It says that they would strive for nothing less than power pop perfection. Of the songs written, the band chose to record twelve, and the result can be heard on the album “Jet Sounds”, released on May 26, 2008.

Live gigs In May 2008 Private Jets made their live debut at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, playing the International Pop Overthrow. An extra show was added.

On Saturday November, 7, 2008, the band played at the International Pop Overthrow in New York City, performing at Kenny's Castaways in Greenwich Village.

Members

• Erik Westin - guitar, vocals
• Per Westin - guitar, vocals, drums, keyboards
• Janne Hellman - lead vocals
• Micke Olsson - bass

Additional help

• Magnus Adell played bass on two tracks on “Jet Sounds” – “Fast forward with you” and “Speak up, speak out”.
• Thomas Hedquist, sound engineer at Quest Studios, did the final mixing on both “Jet Sounds” and “A Four Leaf Clover in E-Major”.

Voices about Jet Sounds

”Unlike most of their brethren, Private Jets go beyond mere stylistic worship to forge their own sound. The cleverly titled Jet Sounds is a gorgeous slab of retro-pop but what really seals the deal is the four-song EP, A FOUR LEAF CLOVER IN E MAJOR. Too many highlights on the album, but “Extraordinary Sensations,” “Speak Up, Speak Out,” and “Fireman for a Day” and its follow-up “Fire Academy” all have that Brill Building ethic.” Mike Baron's Top Ten Records of 2008! Monday, December 15, 2008