|| Fensepost ||"Their motto is clear: We release records when we feel like it. If anyone likes to listen, we’re glad. If no one listens, we’ll keep doing it anyway. It’s a great attitude and likely one held by terrible bands and great bands worldwide. Luckily for The Hartmans (MySpace), they lean toward greatness. Första Brevet Till Amerika is their latest release and can be found stateside on Series II Records. (They’ve been pumping out LPs and EPs since their inception in 2004.) Filled will great Swedish pop of the garage subgenre, The Hartmans fit nicely in a collection of growing hype artists like Crystal Stilts and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, yet they have not quite reached the widespread notoriety of the aforementioned. Not nearly as catchy or rhyme-driven as TPOBPAH, The Hartmans still deserve the catchy pop label. Songs like opener "Neptuni Orden”, "Jehova” and "Qué Séra, Séra” are thoroughly enjoyable, and the same can be said for most tracks on Första Brevet Till Amerika. And they mix distinctly male/female vocals - a trait that sets them apart from similar contemporaries. So the conclusion is simple: if you’re obsessed with the old-made-modern garage sound and are looking to add similar artists, look no further than The Hartmans. Give it time and these guys will gain the notoriety they deserve. "

|| Indiepages ||"I don't know much about this band, other than that they are from Sweden and they have been around for about five years and have a couple dozen releases (!), most of them EPs and most of them self-released. This full-length album actually contains three of those EPs, and it sounds like I've got a lot of catching up to do! The first nine songs contain the band's two most recent releases (at least, as of the time this disc was printed), while the last four songs are taken from an older release. I don't know how many people are in the band, but I can tell you that they all sing - the majority of the songs (both verses and choruses) have 3-4 voices in a choir, giving them a very enthusiastic and joyous feel. The music itself simultaneously reminds me of Smudge and Spraydog, alternating between a country-inspired jangle (particularly in the older songs) and straight-ahead indie rock. Oh, and despite the fact that all of the song titles are in Swedish, the band sings in English. I don't know where this exciting band has been hiding for so long, but I definitely hope that they get a lot more attention now!”

|| Fazer Magazine ||"After looking at the album cover, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the Hartmans’ new album Första Brevet Till Amerika isn’t as hard as it would seem, given the hammer and sickle seen on the front of the record. Första Brevet Till Amerika is stocked full of choruses that will keep you swaying and singing overtop of the rugged riffs that make up most of the album. The Hartmans manage to blend together the lo-fi guitar hooks of the Strokes with the dirty distortion Jesus & Mary Chain, while singing all that’s reminiscent of Sonic Youth. This 3-piece ensemble sings together on almost every song, allowing each track to take on many personalities at once. The album is divided into three sections, two of which contain four songs, the second movement contains five. The majority of these are a little over two minutes long, while four tracks clock in at only a minute and a half. The group doesn’t waste any time in cutting to the core of every track by constructing short songs with great choruses that celebrate the beauty of simplicity. Although the music could hardly be called ‘symphonic’ because of its raw delivery, the songs are crafted well enough to let the album move along smoothly once it gets going. On the song ‘Neputiorden’ the lyrics "I Just Wish My Legacy Could Change” sound like the band is striving to see more of the world than their homeland of Sweden. The lyrics "We Make Choices Everyday/Go to work or stay home and play” on the track ‘Götiska Forbundent’ evoke thoughts of one’s self-discovery through their own personal freedom. The album’s shoegazer sounds aren’t something for everyone, but the crafty songwriting is enough to make it accessible to more people than you would think, given upon the record’s first impression."

|| Das Klienicum ||"mal wieder zeit für einen blick auf series two records releases. denn aus dem letzten jahr geht uns noch ein batzen ab. christopher, der kopf hinter diesem label, knallt zuweilen mehrere veröffentlichungen auf einmal heraus, so dass selbst der geneigte hörer überfordert ist. da sich aber aktuell kaum etwas tut und sich die gerade hippen scheiben eher mau gerieren (siehe u.a. morrissey, m. ward usw.) kann man heute einen blick in den november des vergangenen jahres wagen. da erschien nämlich "första brevet till amerika" von the hartmans. eine lustvolle 13 track scheibe, die mich immer wieder daran erinnert, dass im verborgenen perlen ruhen. die melodien sind draufgängerisch, die begleitung unwillig, der gesang fest. nachdem einige selfreleases das hauseigene cdr-presswerk verlassen hatten, war es zeit für die fleißigen schweden aus östersund, endlich ein full length in angemessener qualität herauszubringen. via series two records gelang dies. allein "neptuni orden" vermittelt, wohin es mit dieser band gehen könnte. ohrenschrauber als berufsbezeichnung quasi. ruppig, aber liebenswert. dass die verweigerungshaltung groß ist, machen anna, johan und jens allerdings schnell klar. wiederholt kann man über die drei lesen, dass sie sich von nichts und niemandem vereinnahmen lassen wollen. hauptsache sie machen musik. für ein paar öre, ähm dollar kann man das allerliebst aufgemachte und auf 300 kopien limitierte gerät bestellen. und viel freude daran haben. wer pop liebt und wem dabei immer ein spritzer rock 'n' roll fehlte, der ist richtig bei the hartmans.”

|| Bluesbunny reviews ||"And every now and then you unearth a musical gem… Indie pop bands from Sweden tend to be of quite a high standard - I'm thinking of the glorious Springfactory as an example - but The Hartmans are just great. It is like they have taken all the best bits from the heyday of pop music and rocked the boat with it. None of the wimpy guitars that you might expect of the genre, every song is full power all the way. In these days of pretension and self importance in popular music, they are just plain refreshing. Despite having the sound quality that barely betters that of a Clash bootleg, every song provokes a case of the singing along. Add in a bucket load of harmonies that sound like they have been imported from California and meld them with some proper rock star guitar and that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to do it. This album is actually a compilation of three EPs by the band but it never sounds disjointed. Not once. That's maintaining standards for you. One little silver disc but one big swaggering beastie of an album and that's a fact! Time to search out more music by The Hartmans"