In Case You Missed It, the Third Week of May
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Just Like the White Winged Dove
by: Diego Martínez
These days Sweden is clearly regarded as a musical powerhouse ever since those two formerly married couples took the world by storm wearing flashy outfits, platform boots and singing a catchy tune about Napoleon Bonaparte’s last battle (yeah, you know the one). The latest Scandinavian import is a band who took its baby steps over a year ago in Stockholm. Malin Dahlström and Gustaf Karlöf, as Niki & The Dove, spent much of their time writing together, figuring out ways to break the mold of modern pop music.
They got off to a great start with their striking debut single “DJ, Ease My Mind“, via Moshi Moshi. Both “DJ” and the self-released follow up “Mother Protect” got rave reviews from Artrocker, NME, The Sunday Times, The Observer and The Independent, who praised the barely constrained electronic sound overlaid by Malin’s glacial vocals, a sort-of mixture of Stevie Nicks and Lykke Li.
But Niki & The Dove does not only rely on great songs filled with magic and hidden darkness: they’re also a fantastic live act, mainly due to Malin and Gustaf’s background working with theater and dance productions. The band is always a spectacle, as many are discovering on their current tour throughout the UK, which will culminate supporting Hurts in early November.
What’s next for one of Europe’s most exciting bands? Plenty. Fresh from their signing to Sub Pop, they released the 12″ single “The Fox” and have just come out with a brand new EP, The Drummer, featuring songs scheduled to appear on the band’s forthcoming and as-yet-unscheduled 2012 full-length album. The EP’s title track, referred by NMEas “their most gleaming pop moment to date,” provides A handful of reasons to look forward to Niki & The Dove’s attack on the pop scene next year.
