Kite (sweden)
Vii (2lp/black)
Since surfacing into the Scandinavian synth-pop scene 16 years ago, Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Hutchinson Berg aka Kite have steadily grown from local icons to a global phenomenon, yet until now they've never released a full-length studio album. 'VII' breaks the ice, collecting 14 of the duo's deepest and most dynamic anthems into a stormy saga of immersive, apocalyptic emotion. Sourced from a series of six 7-inch singles released over the past half-decade, the collection persuasively showcases Kite's distinctly cinematic strain of Swedish darkwave in all its glory and desolation. 'VII' offers a compendium of Kite's potent recent discography, including collaborations with Blanck Mass, Anna von Hausswolff, and Henric de la Cour. From yearning dystopian pop ('Hand Out The Drugs,' 'Bowie '95'), to widescreen existential balladry ('Tranas Stenslanda,' 'Glassy Eyes'), and sleek New Romantica ('Remember Me,' 'Teenage Bliss'), Kite's wavelength is one of soaring heights and abysmal depths, anguish and ecstasy, pouring one's burning, battered heart into the here and now. Their years of visceral commitment and artistic integrity have been hard fought and hard won; it bleeds between the words and melodies in one holy moment after another: "I switch my ways/To seize the day/To face my life/Not fade to gray."