The Mary Onettes
Dare EP
Labrador
My roommate has held that The Mary Onettes are the best band hailing from Sweden for quite some time now, and with the release of "Dare" I can no longer deny the group their rightful placement among the mass of creative genius that emanates from Scandinavia. The title track, and first single from the upcoming album, has The Mary Onettes exploring new territory with a confidence and proficiency that is almost impossible for a band with only one album and a handful of EPs under their belt. Philip Ekström's vocal delivery on "Dare", especially in the final moments of the chorus where his words spiral upwards along a lavish, inspired string arrangement, is simply brilliant, as is the songwriting that provides the melodic tapestry through which Ekström explores the introspective, doubt-ridden material of which the entirety of the EP is comprised. "Kicks" and "God knows I had plans" finds elements of "Pet sounds"-era Beach Boys and the Spector-esque (and criminally underappreciated) The Brother Kite worming their way into The Mary Onettes' instrumentation - "Kicks" as a slower, piano-driven, magnificently layered exploration of lost friendships; "God knows I had plans" driving forwards on a vehicle of jangled guitar lines and soaring vocals, surveying the shadows existent between shafts of sunlight. It's been a long time since a band has inspired in me this level of excitement and passion for music, feelings I thought were relegated to those adolescent years when an album still had the power to change the course of your life.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
