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.
Festival
Dungen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Festival varenda dag gör mig glad
Tågen går varje år
Tågen går varenda år i samma spår
Sköna [...], veckoslut
Du kan sova på min arm tills det blir ljust
Allting lunkar på
Eftermiddagen går
och vi har långt, långt kvar innan natten rullar in
Imorgon då blir det regn
Då får man aja baja imse vimse spö för man är inne
Imorse var det kallt
och man kan var dom andra eller du och jag har festival
The lyrics to Dungen's song Festival speak to the idea of living life in a state of perpetual celebration – seeing everyday as an opportunity to revel in joy and happiness. The repetition of the phrase "festival varje dag" (festival every day) underscores this sentiment, while the following line "festival varenda dag gör mig glad" (festival every day makes me happy) further emphasizes the singer's sense of delight.
The song also touches on the notion of the passing of time, as expressed through the imagery of trains that run "varje år i samma spår" (every year on the same tracks) and the sense of "aftermiddagen går" (the afternoon passes). These references to the cyclical nature of life highlight the importance of making the most of every moment and cherishing the people and experiences that come our way.
The lyrics also suggest the idea of finding comfort and solace in the company of others, as seen in the line "du kan sova på min arm tills det blir ljust" (you can sleep on my arm until it gets light). This sense of shared experience and camaraderie is central to the ethos of the song – that life is ultimately better when we come together and celebrate all that makes it worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
Festival varje dag
Every day feels like a celebration
Festival varenda dag gör mig glad
Every single day brings me happiness
Tågen går varje år
Trains run every year and follow the same path
Tågen går varenda år i samma spår
The trains run every year on the same track
Sköna [...], veckoslut
Relaxing (days), weekend
Du kan sova på min arm tills det blir ljust
You can sleep on my arm until dawn
Allting lunkar på
Everything is moving along
det känns mycket mer än du och jag har lust att mäkta med
It feels like more than you and I can handle
Eftermiddagen går
The afternoon passes by
och vi har långt, långt kvar innan natten rullar in
And we still have a long way to go before nightfall
Imorgon då blir det regn
Tomorrow it will rain
Då får man aja baja imse vimse spö för man är inne
Then we'll have to amuse ourselves indoors
Imorse var det kallt
This morning was cold
och man kan var dom andra eller du och jag har festival
And we can either be like everyone else or create our own celebration
Contributed by Camden J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.