The Sounds’ synth player, Jesper Anderberg, has a theory as to why the Swedish-born band draws comparisons to new-wave staple Blondie.

“It’s mainly because Maja has blond hair and looks a little bit like Debbie Harry,” Anderberg says.

He may be on to something. Maja Ivarsson, lead singer and frontwoman, has the type of hair that makes using the cliche “blond bombshell” acceptable. Currently, Ivarsson, platinum locks and all, along with Anderberg and the rest of the band, are touring the country. The Sounds’ concerts are filled with fans who were hooked by the 2003 release Living in America, and new listeners – drawn to the band by its stints on the late-night television circuit and the inclusion of a track on the Wedding Crashers soundtrack.

Releasing a new album full of defiant, jumpy, punky pop-rock didn’t hurt drawing a crowd, either. In March, the Sounds put out Dying to Say This to You, earning praise and increasing the word-of-mouth about a band who already has Foo Fighters’ front-man Dave Grohl sporting their shirt.

In the Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These” music video, Grohl gives the band some airtime by wearing a red T-shirt bearing the album cover art of Living in America.

The Sounds have played with Foo Fighters, as well as with the Strokes and Rooney. Anderberg says the bands they play with, as well as older bands like Blondie, help influence their music. That’s not the only place inspiration comes from.

“We listen to all types of music,” Anderberg says. “Even bad music is really good to listen to, so we know what we don’t want to sound like. When we first got over to the States, all this shitty music hit us, like Limp Bizkit, which we don’t like very much. That almost made us take an even bigger step toward a different way.”

That different way makes the Sounds, which features Anderberg and Ivarsson, as well as Johan Bengtsson on bass, Fredrik Nilsson on drums and Felix Rodriguez on guitars, a band to watch over the coming months. Unlike bands who completely revamp after a debut hit, the Sounds’ newest release offers original tracks that maintain the brash, fast flurry of the first.

“We still want to keep our sound,” Anderberg says. He notes that the band, which hails from Helsingborg, Sweden, has matured since their debut. That is evidenced in the making of Dying to Say This to You, which was produced by Jeff Saltzman, who put out the Killers’ Hot Fuss.

Anderberg says he enjoyed the studio time that went into the new album released on New Line.

“It’s more fun when you know how things work. We’ve grown up a little bit,” he says.

Now in the midst of the promotional tour for the new album, the Sounds has hit venues from Dallas to Montreal. The band started the tour in March at the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, where the Sounds sold out. But the luck hasn’t just been in the audience numbers. On the way to L.A., the band’s airplane stopped in Las Vegas. Anderberg sat down at the slot machines and, according the band’s web site, won $2,700.

Anderberg says he gave the money to the band’s trusted merch guy for safekeeping. Anderberg just bought an apartment in Sweden and doesn’t want to spend his winnings just yet, he says.

Tonight, big-winner Anderberg and the Sounds are performing at the Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., with Morningwood and Action Action. The all-ages show begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $16 and are available through metrochicago.com.

Medill sophomore Megan Brown is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].