Swedish sister duo turn into pop/folk goddesses on their 5th studio album. With their latest album, Palomino, Johanna and Klara Söderberg, aka First Aid Kit, have completely ignored the folk rule book (yes, there is one, no I’m not telling you where it is) and have thrown their musical gauntlet to the wind.
Proof of this can instantly be found on the opening track, “Out Of My Head”, a song with a dance hook and some synths behind it. Naturally, it also has the trademark twin vocal harmony that we’ve come to expect from the band, but the song hints at a bigger, bolder sound.
The second track, “Angel”, leans towards previous First Aid Kit outings, but it still has a freshness about it. The chorus shines despite the lyrics being quite dark, ‘I love you even if you can’t love me,’ they sing, yet I find myself singing along with a smile on my face, enjoying the beautiful noise hell, darkness can be pretty after all.
We have the (to be expected) 70′s Joni Mitchell-inspired “Ready To Run”, which blends into what sounds like an Oasis song that I can’t quite put my finger on in “Turning Onto You” the opening chords are definitely (maybe) lifted from a Noel Gallagher penned song, which in turn would have no doubt been inspired from somewhere else!
“29 Palms Highway” has a breezy, Americana feel to it, like travelling down a dusty lane somewhere in Tennessee, and the closing song, “Palomino”, which is also the album title, wraps up the record with more stunning layered vocals.
Parts of this album remind me of another band featuring sisters; whether First Aid Kit can be as successful as Haim remains to be seen, but I suspect they might not actually want to. Where they are at, over fifteen years since they decided to become a band, is a comfortable level for them. The height of fame isn’t for everyone, and for the Söderberg’s being respected by their peers and loved by those in the know is more than enough.
7/10
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