Track Of The Day THE SLOW SUMMITS
Swedish four-piece pop band The Slow Summits from Linköping debuted in 2019 with the self-produced 4-track EP “Languid Belle”, which featured trailblazer indie stalwart Amelia Fletcher (Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, Marine Research, Sportique, Swansea Sound, Tender Trap, The Catenary Wires) on backing vocals, a sort of seal of quality, for a brilliant and sophisticated debut of extremely captivating indie pop that struck the chords of many aficionados, despite an unpretentious approach from a self-dubbed ‘bunch of stressed out middle-class dreamers’.
The group, seemingly named after 2013 The Pastels 5th studio LP, comprised Anders Nyberg (Lead vocals/Rhythm guitar/Percussion), Mattias Holmqvist Larsson (Bass guitar/Back. vocals), Karl Sunnermalm (Lead guitar/Acoustic guitar/Harmonica) and Fredrik Svensson (Drums), over a string of five standalone singles, the latest “Time’s on Your Side”, effortlessly straddle the intersection of two decades of guitar pop to mine the inexhaustible, precious seams of Postcards, The Go-Betweens, C86 (especially London area’s lost brother duo East Village), Creation, Sarah Records, as well as they could have been easily fitted in the Matinée Recordings roster, through an alchemy of rich vocal harmonies, catchy chorus and crystalline and sparkling carpets of echoing guitars, airy, bright and captivating in their infectious, joyfully intense melodies, veiled by a restless, at times drizzling, and bittersweet nordic melancholy together with a lingering existential disillusion.
Confessional lyrics reflect on missed opportunities with a refreshing lens of carefree abandon to evoke a nonchalant vibe of playful serenity.
With the addition of Kajsa Risto on backing vocals, the slightly Americana-tinged “Time’s on Your Side” is triggered by steady, perky percussions wreathed with layers of strummed shimmers, glistening jangly guitar meanders and subtle shivering harmonica swells, sway wistfully around heartfelt emotional vocals, backed by pungent cries and longing echoes, releasing nostalgia and angst into a drifting highway of lost dreams.
We certainly don’t expect originality and innovation, but the Scandinavian combo brings seamlessly, with songwriting prowess and melodic flair, albeit diluted in time, bracing slices of indie pop sheen.
Keep with The Slow Summits:
