- Top 1OJun
About
File under
Best Coast, Sunflower Bean
Free style
Indie rock
" The sound of summer "
Girl Scout, a four-piece from Stockholm, play accessible, joyous indie rock that has an air of cool kid nonchalance – the sort of attitude that befits the band founders’ background in jazz. Having met while studying at the Royal College of Music, Emma Jansson and Viktor Spasov joined forces to get through the pandemic’s dearth of gigs by playing covers. Gradually expanding their sound, their colleagues Evelina Arvidsson Eklind and Per Lindberg were soon tapped to join the band, establishing that two-guys-two-gals lineup made famous by that other great Swedish musical export, ABBA.
The comparisons to those all-time greats don’t end there, either. It’s always a bit surprising when one starts digging into Sweden’s musical scene, with ABBA of course, but also acts such as Robyn, Europe, Ace of Base, Viagra Boys, Ghost, super-producer Max Martin’s many club hits (acts who could sometimes elicit an “oh, I didn’t realise they were Swedish” from the average listener…): there’s a common thread running through all of the above. An undeniable pop catchiness and warmth running through Swedish music that makes the music whisk you away, leaving your troubles behind. It’s into this rich vein of euphoria that two guys and two gals have again tapped into successfully.
Girl Scout’s heart is undoubtedly Swedish. The big, BIG choruses that are tailor made for summer singalongs. The melodies that will take you back to the good days. The dash of inquisitive creativity, courtesy of that afore-mentioned jazz education. The warm glow of pop escapism tying it all together. You can recognise that in all of the acts mentioned in this profile, just like you can recognise their defining characteristic in Girl Scout – greatness.