Bewitching, electrifying and delightfully enthralling

The eccentric Swedish electronic music producer Fever Ray’s unbound studio album, Radical Romantics, transfers listeners’ minds into the niche, campy universe they have created through distorted yet crystal-clear sounds and transcendental lyrics. Karin Dreijer, the musician who performs as Fever Ray, has created a name for themselves by experimenting in the realms of electropop, trip hop, ambient and more. Though the lyricism could be construed in a multitude of ways, the musician’s incomparable album is nearly 45 minutes of pure unadulterated aural stimulus that incites feelings of being wholly consumed by the diverse stages of a love affair–intensity, passion, love, despair and all the experiences in between. 

The four and a half minute song, “What They Call Us” kicks off the album with a yearning type of energy–an insatiable appetite. The track opens with the sound of pinging electro beats bouncing off one another to build an empowering bass line with oscillating synths. As the melody becomes more sparse and lucid, Dreijer comes in with a set of mesmerizing, raspy vocals that seize the audience. They bellow, “the person who came here was broken / can you fix it, can you care,” immediately followed by the chorus and shrill whoosh of brief electronic harmonies. This song showcases the despair one feels in a fervent relationship and the contemplation of labeling said relationship.

Radical Romantics then transitions into the second song “Shiver,” which gives listeners a look into the physical aspects of an all-encompassing love affair and wanting, “just a little touch.” The track starts off with a repetitive, erratic layering of a soft skipping knock progression overpowered by bouncing warped electronic melodies that almost sound like a harshly plucked guitar, but it works. The lyrics are just the cherry on top. Dreijer adds an extra bit of oomph to their captivating vocals when harmonizing, “killer skies / thick thighs / some girls will make you blush / some girls will make you shiver.” The track just makes listeners want to get up and go to the nearest club to live out their “it girl” fantasies. All of the tracks have their own unmistakable, alluring concepts; however, songs like “Kandy” and “Carbon Dioxide,” are unparalleled in comparison with the other tracks.

The fourth song on the track, “Kandy,” opens with a snapping and thudding bass line spliced together with the tapping of small, airy metallic cymbals that listeners’ can feel throughout their body if the volume is full blast–and what better way to listen to this enthralling composition? After the fleeting prelude, there is a sampling of what almost sounds like a toy train whistle before layering a separate low beat electronic harmony onto the previous bass line, completing the underlying riff. In anticipation of Dreijer’s vocals, the sound of clunking drums, distorted zig zagging electro beats and a sparkling chord progression are incorporated into the track, illustrating the artist’s forte at taking experimental approaches to their music. The lyrics are up to the listeners’ interpretation, perfectly exemplified by the sultry delivery of, “she laid me down and whispered / all girls want kandy / can you bring me back / all girls want kandy.”

“Carbon Dioxide” begins with a compilation of sharp and shrill noises that distort listeners’ thoughts so all they can focus on is this enshrouding track. The faint samplings of what only sounds like electronic warblings that chirp and squawk are abruptly overwhelmed by the layering of an abundance of instrumental sounds–so chaotic that listeners have to take a breath before the vocals come into play. Subsequently, Dreijer’s electrifying voice cries, “sucking on what’s mine / love’s carbon dioxide / can’t say it out loud / I’m afraid to lose it / their melody / is pure music.” The opening lyrics flawlessly set up the song’s atmosphere of an all-consuming love, noticing every little detail. 

All of the songs on this bewitching, unquenchable love letter of an album embody Fever Ray’s experimental musical and lyrical approaches that effortlessly grasp each of the concepts they apply to their unorthodox compositions. Radical Romantics keeps listeners’ on the edge of their seats in suspense of what Dreijer will throw at them next–“I know what love is and I want to show you?”