At the turn of the millennium, Gothenburg was not the obvious place for a new pop movement. But from clubs, art schools and small labels such as Service, a new wave of artists and bands emerged whose music would ripple far beyond the city itself and help reshape Swedish indie music. At the centre was The Embassy. Fredrik “Liston” Lindson and Torbjörn Håkansson made music that was elegant, emotional, funny and strangely elusive — pop songs that seemed to belong everywhere and nowhere at once. But for all their acclaim and influence, they were never built for mainstream success. Two decades later, the scene may be gone, but The Embassy are still here. Still playing indie venues. Still making new music. Restless and unwilling to take the comfortable route. Their friendship is complicated: two artists whose friction with the world, and sometimes with each other, keeps pushing the band forward. It Pays to Belong is a documentary as restless, funny and unruly as the duo itself. Through the band, other artists, journalists and fans, it explores what it means to belong to an idea bigger than yourself — and the cost, and reward, of staying true to it.

Written, Directed and Edited by: John Boisen & Björn Fävremark
Featuring artists and members of The Embassy, Jens Lekman, El Perro Del Mar, The Tough Alliance, Franke, Cat5, Mythologen, Nordpolen, Stella Explorer, Bad Cash Quartet and more. Producers: Björn Fävremark, Helena Fröling, John Boisen
Executive Producer: Kristina Börjeson
Executive co-producers: Jenny Luukkonen, Anneli Kustfält
Cinematography: Philip Svensson, John Boisen, Björn Fävremark
Sound mix: Andreas Mellkvist, Auditory
Produced by Is This It in co-production with Film i Väst and SVT With support from Göteborgs Stad and Film & TV Lindholmen