The band is fronted by singer/composer Gustav Ejstes, who writes all music and plays the majority of instruments on the band's records. Despite this, Dungen plays live as a four-piece. Gustav, who in his teens started his songwriting with hip hop, is backed live by Swedish progressive rock veteran Reine Fiske (Landberk, Morte Macabre, Paatos, The Guild) on guitar, bassist Mattias Gustavsson (Life On Earth!), and drummer Fredrik Björling (The Guild)-- all of whom have played parts on Dungen's studio albums.
Following two vinyl album releases on Swedish record label Subliminal Sounds, Dungen briefly signed to Dolores Recordings (a subset of Virgin Records) in 2002, on which they released the CD Stadsvandringar and three singles, including one for Djungelboken 2 (the Swedish version of The Jungle Book 2). Gustav soon returned to his friend's independent record label Subliminal Sounds, stating that a major label did not feel right because Dungen is not a pop act.
Although Dungen's songs are sung entirely in Swedish, 2004's Ta Det Lugnt received great acclaim within indie rock circles and established the band's international reputation. This resulted in the band headlining two US tours and landing distribution deals in the US and UK. Dungen also performed their song "Panda" on the popular NBC television talk show Late Night With Conan O'Brien. In 2006, Dungen played at the famous Bonnaroo music festival and has also toured with Wolfmother and the Tucker B's around Australia.
Dungen released their third studio album, Tio Bitar on April 25, 2007 but did not tour in support of it.
The group's next long-player, entitled 4 was released on the 30th of september 2008.
In 2010 Dungen released their fifth studio album, Skit i allt.
Barnen Undrar
Dungen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Och ingen vet hur länge marken låg.
Dom sa det är vilket som för vi är borta sen länge då,
som bara den, vi bygger någonting nytt.
Inget blir igen som förut.
Kanske som det är nu fast värre ändå.
Tog allting slut i en jättebrand.
Det blev aldrig fred på jorden, teve, saftblandarvarningssken.
För jag är jag och du är alltid du.
Inget blir igen som förut.
Kanske som det är nu fast värre ändå.
Det blir aldrig fred på jorden.
Vi som sticker huvudet i sanden får se.
The lyrics to Dungen's song "Barnen Undrar" are a reflection on the impermanence and transience of life. The song begins with the disappearance of everything in a single day, leaving the children wondering what happened. The singer notes that no one knows how long the ground was gone, and that "we" are long gone, having built something new. This implies that the world is in constant flux, and that nothing lasts forever.
The chorus repeats the refrain that nothing will be the same as it was before, and that the current state of things may be worse than ever. In the second verse, the singer has a dream about their own personal paradise, but it is destroyed in a giant fire. The aftermath of this destruction is marked by warnings about the dangers of television and juice mixers, further emphasizing the idea that the world is a precarious and unpredictable place.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of fatalism, as if the changes and destruction the singer describes are inevitable and cannot be prevented. The final line, "we who stick our heads in the sand will see," suggests that there are some who refuse to acknowledge the fragility of the world, but eventually they too will have to face the reality of its impermanence.
Line by Line Meaning
Samma dag försvinner allt och barnen undrar: vad hände sen?
On the same day, everything disappeared and the children are curious as to what happened next.
Och ingen vet hur länge marken låg.
And nobody knows how long the ground remained.
Dom sa det är vilket som för vi är borta sen länge då,
They said that it doesn't matter because we've been gone for a long time anyway,
som bara den, vi bygger någonting nytt.
So we just keep building something new, as if nothing happened.
Inget blir igen som förut.
Nothing will ever be the same again.
Kanske som det är nu fast värre ändå.
Maybe it's like it is now, but even worse.
Samma natt jag drömde om mitt paradis och [rekordens låt].
That same night, I dreamed about my paradise and [the song on the record].
Tog allting slut i en jättebrand.
But everything came to an end in a huge fire.
Det blev aldrig fred på jorden, teve, saftblandarvarningssken.
There was never peace on Earth, only television and juice warnings.
För jag är jag och du är alltid du.
Because I am me and you are always you.
Det blir aldrig fred på jorden.
There will never be peace on Earth.
Vi som sticker huvudet i sanden får se.
Those of us who bury our heads in the sand will eventually see what's happening.
Contributed by Luke W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.