It’s been awhile since I’ve talked about any Swedish indie-pop, but the long wait was not in vain, since today I can bring you music from Bedroom Eyes, who have quickly taken over the #3 spot on my list of favorite Swedish exports (behind Ikea and Greta). Their debut EP Embrace in Stereo is available for free download either at their website, or right here if you keep reading.
Blueprint for Departure is a twee-pop masterpiece, mixing jangly guitars, horns, and fey vocals in equal parts, with an assist from Julia Hanberg of another great Scandinavian band Penny Century.
Dancing Under the Influence makes me wonder why in the world I wasted the description “twee pop masterpiece” on the last song. Driven by a delightfully weightless acoustic guitars, a harmonica to-die-for, and shared male/female vocals, this is everything a twee song could hope to be. It deserves to be played while indie kids frolic through an endless summer evening. Fast-paced and loose, it is perpetually on the verge of overstepping the bounds but never quite falls into recklessness. Instead resides in that narrow band where spontaneity and structure merge seamlessly.
The Skywriter is soft and gentle with a minute-long dabble into waves of arena rock/shoegaze. However, the wall of sound does nothing to disrupt the song’s tranquility, and when tune re-emerges, it feels entirely appropriate.
Motorcycle Daydream is my least-favorite song on the EP, but still manages to be one of the best new songs I’ve heard this month.
These four songs are not nearly enough to satisfy my appetite for unpretentious yet captivating Swedish pop, but that’s all there is for now. I’ll be waiting anxiously for a full-length.