Label: Mute
Release Date: March 10, 2023
Radical Romantics, Fever Ray’s first new album in five-plus years, presents their struggle with the myth of love. Karin Dreijer tapped a number of co-producers for the record, including their brother Olof, who imbues tracks like What They Call Us with many of the startling, squiggling synths and syncopated beats that have become a hallmark of their collaborations. The nervous desire trapped in mounting sexual tension on Kandy is something only they can portray so hauntingly. The baleful mood kicks in on Even It Out, produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The track has squelchy synths and the gentle sway of a new-wave ballad by Gary Numan while Dreijer sings with a pronounced sneer. Although generally under the umbrella of electronic music, the album draws from several different wells, including dizzying pop on Carbon Dioxide. Dreijer’s viewpoint, almost like that of an alien looking down on earth and dissecting interpersonal human relationships from a distance, is also present in Tapping Fingers, which they call the “saddest song” they’ve ever written.
Not a GMR artist!
Listen to: 1, 4, 5, 7, & 9
FCC: None
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