After a career of blending pop with quirky, quiet and ambitious sounds, Lykke Li takes a moment to make a fully catchy record. While she’s shaking things up less here, there are so many years of sound developing behind her music now that it’s a rich tapestry regardless. There’s a booming and immense pop sound in “Happy Now,” that finds Li guiding the spirit of excitement in the song as the bass is revved, the drums are divine, and the sense of euphoria is at an all-time high. Those grooves and rhythms stay invigorating on “Lucky Again,” as Li plays a more downbeat pop edge, and while it’s not a revolutionary sonic idea, the production behind it is a lush, mesmerizing world. We get more of a throwback sound on “Sick of Love,” albeit with more refreshed production and soaring feeling from Li, playing her usual parts, but with more life than ever before. All this pop is distilled in the slowly mounting power of “Knife in the Heart,” with some of the most dazzling synth runs in any Li song ever running in the back-end of this song.
With the recent music from former Asteroids Galaxy Tour singer Mette Lindberg showing that spacy vocal, her partner in crime, producer and studio magician Lars Iversen is showing what his mind can bring to the table in fine form. The single is a frantic and dense affair, feeling like a kaleidoscopic rollick through a lot of trippy radio stations all locked into the same groove. There’s a lot of Asteroid’s DNA in this track, from those glowing harmonies, the swinging beats and a sound that is constantly pulling from hip hop in a few different ways. The twist here is Iversen actually does fit rap into the mix, and lets his spin on the psychedelic production feel like spinning through samples without having to do so. It’s the closest thing we’ll get for a while to his OG band, but it’s cool to see him taking things forward with just enough of a hint of that old shine.
When her pop was taking off, it was always fascinating to look back and see how Karen Marie Ørsted, aka MØ’s early days in a punk band had informed her DIY aesthetics and aspects of her music as a whole, but going back to that world is a welcome return with a sharper songwriting mind behind the wheel. After over a decade away from the project, it’s exhilarating to hear MØ having fun with her friend Josefine Struckmann, and making some chunky rock as a result. It’s not changing the game, but it’s a fun return to her roots, and one that brings a fun amount of pop know-how to the mix than the first time around. The EP starts in a chanting circle with “PANIK,” as the pair seem to find their synchronicity in a demented round of singing the album to life. They kick into proper gear on the grinding riffs of “Sort Nat,” where you get the duality of the punk fury that’s informed MØ’s music and all the pop that she’s picked up over the years in a fiery, short package dripping with riffs. There’s also a surprising note of Gurr to those guitar tones, especially with the dual vocals. The lo-fi charge of “Gider Ikke Mere” is a fun rush, though it’s really those bright harmonies that shine in the later moments of the song. “Meteorregn” is a more call-and-response affair, with the drums playing the freakiest roll in the midst as you feel like you’re being ripped around in a police cruiser on a frantic nighttime chase.
The Avalanches – Together ft. Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza, Prentiss (Single)
Melbourne, Australia
Though it starts in a realm of what feels like hyper pop meets retro computer music and a bit of chiptune, the Avalanches’ latest single feels like a maximalist approach to lo-fi electronica in the most exciting way possible. After its massive build-up, the track shifts into a bass-driven mood-piece that wanders through vocals in a fun and immersive way, shifting footing again and again. It’s the way that it’s able to weave in and out of these worlds that makes the song such a fun experience. And as they rise in the sunnier bridges of the other vocalists, you can feel an unrelenting happiness slowly building to an explosion. All the while, the disintegrating sonic quality of the song and the subtle bleed of the darker lyrics hint at the hurt behind the glowing feeling around it.
As a true maverick of art-pop in modern music, Genesis Owusu takes no prisoners in his music, and his latest album keeps the writing sharp. It’s fun, a little unhinged, and constantly slicing between envelope-pushing ideas, fun dance pop, and a throw-it-all-at-the-wall style that makes it so fun to listen to. With “Pirate Radio” setting the tone here, there’s a dark punk edge to all the synths going on between Owusu’s punchy vocals, but it’s actually the infectious hooks and softer moments that make the song such a well-rounded banger by its final moments. The frantic kick to “Stampede” lives up to its chaotic name, with Owusu leaving you concussed by the flurry of beats and waves of echoing vocals. There’s a bit of Franz Ferdinand and similar compatriots in the funky and dance-rock-driven “Death Cult Zombie” that feels like a throwback to both early 2000s indie sleaze and a lot of fun 80s music in the best way possible. The neon glow of “Big Dog” rounds out the back end of the record, with the monumental synths building from a wall to a mountain of rollicking booms, as Owusu rides down the maelstrom like a carefree surfer.
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