“Viljan” by Det Vackra Livet

Labrador recently announced that they signed Det Vackra Livet, or as they describe them, “the best new band we’ve heard in ages.” That’s pretty high praise if you ask me, considering that this is Labrador we’re talking about here, one of the finest pop labels on the planet. Anyways, back to the band at hand, Det Vackra Livet’s first single is entitled “Viljan” and it’s currently available on iTunes… or you can just download “Viljan” for free.

Now, your first thought while listening to “Viljan” will probably be “Hey, this sounds an awful lot like The Mary Onettes.” Which shouldn’t be too surprising given that the band’s members are Philip and Henrik Ekström, two of the founding members of The Mary Onettes. As with the Ekströms’ other band, Det Vackra Livet’s sound is heavily influenced by all that was good and golden about the music of the ’80s, e.g., The Cure, The Smiths, and New Order. And like The Mary Onettes, Det Vackra Livet embody their influences so fully that their music, though thoroughly nostalgic, sounds completely fresh and vibrant.

And of course, the yearning vocals of Philip don’t hurt matters one bit, as they imbue the music with a human warmth quite appropriate for songs inspired by the memoirs of the Ekströms’ grandmothers as well as the poetry of Claes Andersson.

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