We’ve been aware of Club 8 for the last year or so. They’ve existed for 29 years, more than that. The bona fide Scandinavian indie pop legends made their return in 2024 with the comeback album A Year With Club 8 after 6 years away. Less than a year later, Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård have blessed us with another record, in the form of Seasonal Echoes.
A collection of 10 songs spanning 22 minutes and with the longest track clocking in at only 2:44 – these are small, but perfectly formed, delectable slices of indie pop. The songs straddle genres with ease, but all have a decidedly twee undertone – there are post-punk moments (ooo), dancey tunes (Born The Wrong Time), and perfect pop pieces (Sneaky Feelings) across the course of the album – but no matter what arena they’re operating in, the quality is consistent.
The album opens with Stay Together which comes across as decidedly 80s-feeling. This is due in no small part to the combination of steady electronic percussion, shiny synth-led instrumentation and chic guitar tones. The added xylophone is a sweet touch and feels contradictory to the choice of language used in the chorus (“stay together, this fucked up world”), but the juxtaposition of style choices works well.
This is followed by Born The Wrong Time which borrows its bassline straight from the New Order/Peter Hook playbook. The reverby, almost whispery vocals are ethereal and enchanting and remind us stylistically of the vocal style adopted frequently in shoegaze songs or by bands like The Cocteau Twins or Mazzy Star. Up next is the aforementioned Sneaky Feelings, which is an unequivocal pop masterclass that recalls the work of Brooklyn indie pop trio Au Revoir Simone. The music is eminently danceable but feels at the same time rather sombre. Like going to an indie disco whilst heartbroken, trying to shuffle your feet whilst tears stream down your face and tumble into your cocktail.
ooo takes the tried and tested post-punk formula and injects it with an unmistakable Scandi-gaze shimmer. The persistent beat and throbbing bass combo do some heavy lifting here, allowing the other components of the song to playfully float around as they please.
This is quickly followed – in keeping with the overall pace of the album – by Working On The Next Life, which is a laid-back, slinky-feeling smooth operator of a song. There is a sheen here that suggests a different kind of 1980s music. A departure from the post-punk vibes we’ve encountered this far. It’s possibly a little New Romantic, maybe? Or Yacht Rock? Whatever the genre, the breathy vocals work wonders against the backdrop of staccato guitar and soft keys.
We move on to the frenetic punky number Staying Alive, which feels a lot like Abel by The National. Which is good news for us as we’re massive fans. The lead lines that are introduced around halfway through the song glimmer with a crystalline quality that cuts through the Jesus & Mary Chain-esque noise beautifully. The pounding percussion in this one drives the tune from beginning to end, and the elements amalgamate with expertise and ease.
Your Modern Heart begins, and its downtempo energy feels a bit like The Cure. Interestingly, this is the only song from the album not to be released as a standalone single before it came out (which is absolutely mind-blowing to us – that’s 9 singles released from a 10 track album – a sign of the times if ever there was one – what is the world coming to?!)
Lazy begins as it ends. Entirely contravening the song’s title, it’s full throttle and full of energy. It’s one of the poppiest tunes on the album. As infectious and instantaneous as anything else here, with its pulsating rhythm and catchy riff, it’s incredibly easy to love. This is followed by Let It All Fly, which, conversely, is the album’s most downbeat moment so far. A shimmering, hazy, dreamlike song that seems to float around you and swallow you whole. After this stark stylistic deviation, the album concludes with the rather depressingly titled None Of This Will Matter When You Are Dead. We had noticed that morality is seemingly a recurring theme throughout the album, but this has got to be the cheeriest, most energetic-sounding meditation on death that we’ve ever heard.
We have covered Club 8’s output extensively here on the blog, and one thing that never ceases to amaze us is the dependable quality of their work. This album is no exception, and as a result, it comes highly recommended.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
