First Aid Kit: 'Palomino'
After retreating home to their roots in Stockholm, Swedish folk sibling duo, First Aid Kit have marked their return to music with the highly-anticipated album ‘Palomino’, their first record in almost five years. Commemorating their fifth studio album, the Söderberg sisters, bring us their most conventionally ‘pop’ sounds yet, offering a delicious blend of experimental folk meets Americana.
Rather than slipping into their comfort zone, ‘Palomino’ proves what we’ve always known, First Aid Kit are chameleons of the music scene. Each track showcases their effortless ability to shapeshift through genres and pays homage to some of the greats.
First and foremost, the album title tells us what we need to know about the theme of the record. Metaphoric for horses of the ‘Palomino’ breed, these horses aren’t born with their golden coats, but develop them with maturity and age. And needless to say, this is the Söderberg sister's most mature album yet. It’s their gateway into having more fun with music, using the trials and tribulations of life to create their most experimental and freest sounds to date.
On the whole, ‘Palomino’ is a time capsule for reflecting on past experiences in a cathartic way, without rose-tinted glasses or muddled waters of heartbreak hazing the vision. It’s the perfect insight into the inevitable highs, lows, in-betweens, and downright confusion of relationships.
Although on the first listen, ‘Palomino’ appears to have a summer-esque vibe to it (think road trips, desert heat, and light evenings with orange-glazed skies). It very much brings the warmth to winter that we all need with the melancholic, folksy beats and shimmering guitar lines.
Their track ‘Ready to Run’ pays homage to their Swedish roots, with coarse echoes of ABBA’s signature sound accompanying their lyrics. The pair’s striking vocals intertwine and give us soothing harmonies, a perfect blend of happiness and melancholy. A completely repeat-worthy song.
‘Wild Horses’ is one of the more heartfelt songs on the album. The track unpacks the complexity of a relationship that’s been dragged way past its sell-by date, despite either party ending things. “I guess something shifted / I guess something died / Thought I couldn't change it / So I didn't even try”, they confess wryly. It encapsulates a feeling of realisation that when all’s been said and done, all that’s left to do is to play “‘Wild Horses on the car stereo”.
‘A Feeling That Never Came’ feels like it has been dug up, dusted off, and delivered straight from the glam rock era of the ‘70s. With the electric guitars and disco strings, this track explores the numbness post-breakup.
“I loved you / but I’ve put that all to rest” rationalises heartache and fall-out, while the rest of the lyrics hint at putting pieces of a story, and yourself back together in the aftermath, “Can still rewrite the story if I wanted to / I go back there time and time again” they beckon. “What scares me most is this ghost of you and me / Is it all in my head?” explores the idea of running circles in your mind, and unwantedly letting a past love take up too much space in your brain, all to a bittersweet yet uplifting melody. Undoubtedly a stand-out on the album.
Meanwhile, ‘Angel’ could be mistaken for an extended track from Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. With the woodsy harmonies in the chorus, accompanied by the pop-folk and uplifting rhythm, it’s the musical equivalent of a Sunday morning, light-cracking-through-the-blind-gap optimism. Breezily simple and sweet.
‘Palomino’ is an album everyone should listen to, whether you’re a folk fan or not. There’s plenty to admire from the Söderberg sisters' soul-warming harmonies to their ability to explore the complexities of relationships through whimsical musings. A must-listen this year.
