When people think of Sweden, they usually think of their massages, or maybe their fish.
However, recent years have shown that there’s a lot more to the Scandinavian country than just their bikini team. Groups like Shout Out Louds and Peter Bjorn and John have proven that the fine people of Sweden also know their way around a pop song, but no band pushes the genre within an inch of its life like Love Is All do.
Fronted by pixie-haired singer/keyboardist Josephine Olausson, the Gothenburg five-piece sew catchy melodies, twitchy drums, and high-speed guitar into a frayed but sturdy patchwork. Some people may find Olausson’s belted, Yoko Ono-esque vocals a bit on the caustic side, but they’re sung with such head-spun glee that it’s hard to not be charmed by them. If you’re not sure whether Love Is All’s blend of traditional pop and delirious post-rock is right for you, their April 17th show at the Casbah will be the perfect time to find out.
The concert is sure to draw a crowd, but that may have more to do with the opening band than the headlining one. Thanks to a tidal wave of buzz that crested with the recent release of their critically-acclaimed Sub Pop debut, I Will Be, there are few hotter bands in indie rock right now than Dum Dum Girls. Led by Dee Dee — better known as Kristin Gundred of San Diego’s defunct Grand Ole Party — Dum Dum Girls’ lo-fi, mangled pop is the perfect companion to Love Is All’s similarly inverted sound.
Tickets are on sale now and, with a lineup as great as this, you probably won’t want to wait too long to buy them.