Niki & The Dove: 'Instinct' - Album review

Published May 15 2012, 10:46 BST  |  By Lewis Corner

"This album is a result of all the music we have been listening to. We carry so much music inside us and this is the result," Niki & The Dove's Gustaf Karlöf told us earlier this year. And after giving their debut album Instinct several spins, it's easy to spot just what resides on the Swedish duo's iPods - even if they have approached it with their own distinctive quirks.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the album is electronically-led and it's a sound that fits them like a glove. Opening track 'Tomorrow' flutters between singer Malin Dahlström's other-worldly vocals and sprinkling synths that sounds, we imagine, like a pop gig hosted on Mars. Lead single 'DJ, Ease My Mind' takes the record to a more dramatic world, offering a club-ready cut that is both tribal and hypnotic.

'Mother Protect' sounds like the result of an ABBA and Kate Bush supergroup. "Oh my heart is, like an eagle/ I love to fall from the sky, it's all beautiful," Malin sings over a floating riff with a wobbly vocal, keeping a sense of experimentation while remaining naturally pop-friendly. 'The Drummer', meanwhile, mixes modern dance-synths with '70s disco beats to create an emphatic club serenade.

The real highlight 'Somebody' takes the duo's pop sensibilities to stratospheric levels with a glorious melody that would slip directly onto a Madonna or Kylie Minogue album from the '80s. It's clear that Niki & The Dove's music taste is broad, but it's their ability to hone those influences into their own mystical style that easily makes them Sweden's most promising new musical export.

Tracks to download: 'DJ, Ease My Mind', 'Somebody', 'Tomorrow'
If you like this, you'll like: Florence + the Machine, Robyn, Kate Bush

Watch the music video for Niki & The Dove's 'Tomorrow' below: