Then Argus – Swedish Indie Rock Band from Stockholm

Then Argus is an indie rock band from Stockholm shaped by years of friendship, a lot of trial and error, and the feeling that music was always supposed to find its way back into their lives. The roots go all the way back to preschool, where vocalist Diedrik Germer and guitarist Petter Söderblom met and later played their first gig together at eleven under the name Red Roses. A few years later they crossed paths again with Max Kihlborg, a year above them in school and already deep into teaching himself guitar. The three eventually became close friends, but not until after a stretch of teenage years, travels, and the kind of detours that usually push music to the side for a while.

When Diedrik and Petter returned home after living abroad in the US and Argentina, they both had the same thought: it was time to start writing again. They called Max, met up to jam, and something clicked. What began as loose sessions after school developed into an early version of the band. They wrote rough garage rock songs, swapped instruments, and tried whatever felt fun. Petter moved from drums to guitar, which meant they suddenly needed a real drummer.

Enter Douglas Hollingworth, whom Diedrik had met years earlier at a summer camp. They kept bumping into each other at parties growing up, but never played music together. When Diedrik asked if he knew anyone who could drum, Douglas volunteered himself with more confidence than experience. It turned out he had a natural feel for it, and the band suddenly had the missing piece they didn’t realize they were waiting for.

From there, the group decided to build everything themselves. With no studio background, they learned how to record, produce and mix their own songs by trial, error, and an unhealthy amount of late nights. They released music independently and started playing live around Stockholm. Their early momentum led them to the Emergenza competition, where they finished second in Sweden and broke the national audience record.

As the band evolved, the lineup changed and Erik Söderblom, Petter’s older brother, stepped in on bass. Erik had grown up playing in bands of his own, and his arrival solidified the dynamic. The group now had two sets of brothers and a long history tying everyone together, which naturally shaped their chemistry both onstage and off.

In 2023, Then Argus released their debut album Then Album, fully self-recorded, produced and mixed. It became a defining moment, proving they could build something meaningful entirely on their own terms. In 2025, they followed it with the EP China Shipping, expanding their sound and further establishing themselves within the Nordic indie scene.

Over the years, Then Argus have built a reputation for energetic, communal live shows. They have played sold-out nights at Soho House, Trädgården, Pelago, Brillo, Blique by Nobis, and Rosendal Stockholm, and have taken their music to cities like Copenhagen, Visby, Ystad, Söderhamn and Sandhamn. Their audiences tend to be loud, loyal and fully involved, which has helped turn their concerts into the kind of nights that venues remember.

Today, the band mixes anthemic indie rock with a Scandinavian edge, drawing inspiration from artists like Kings of Leon, The Strokes, Cage The Elephant, The National and Coldplay, while carving out a sound that feels very much their own. What keeps Then Argus moving forward is the same thing that started it: a shared history, a stubborn DIY spirit, and the belief that good songs are built on honesty, not perfection.