Love in October's self-titled EP a Swedish success

By Lukas Truckenbrod / For The Pitt News

published: Tue, 9 Jun, 2009

Love in October is making a serious bid to be played in Urban Outfitters, independent films and crowded, Pabst Blue Ribbon-laden basements.

It has crafted a sound that begs to be played loud and with the windows down.

It is also not afraid to go nuts, as seen by the instrumental tracks on its self-titled EP and the closer ­— sung in Swedish is a winding, meandering track with harmonizing lo-fi vocals, equipped with just enough accordion to really set the mood.

It’s a sharp contrast when looking at the album opener — a raucous freakout.

The best track, “Dance Johannes Kepler,” brings the first groove of the EP. Some white-soul lyrics enter claim, “I like it when you move from side to side / You got me with those hips,” resulting in a more playful, less serious attitude. And then the band turns it on.

The moog, a type of synthesizer, is a good touch on many of the tracks — at least when it is used. The fast track “Hey!!!” with a brisk minute and a quarter length, is the first opportunity for the synth instrument to lead the song.

A common influence seems to stem from Las Vegas arena rockers The Killers and labelmates The Bravery. Love in October is a little more cute and less arena with a more garage sound.
But again, it is not afraid to push the boundaries to see what exactly is passable. Each song illustrates a different style — instrumental freakouts, Weezer-style hooks or wandering crooning in a foreign language. “Like Nothing Ever Happened” is a veritable nod to The Shins, again displaying its ability to play along with a wide range of influences.

They are, however, able to weave in and out of these genres so the album never lacks cohesiveness.
It takes a systematic thought process with precise analysis skills going into these seven songs to digest the Love in October sound, which is very close to being accomplished. While the release is super-tight, squeezing in at less than 17 minutes, a full-length release would most likely force the band to make a serious stand in the indie-pop scene.

Compared to the previous releases, Words of Sound EP and Pontus, The Devil and Me, the Love in October EP emits a more mature and focused sound. The energy hasn’t changed. There are plenty of noisy rock moments to keep its garage credibility intact.

And looking at the list of college radio stations that play its music, it seems that people are appreciating the cohesiveness the band strived for while genre-hopping. At universties throughout the country, the love seems to be all around, and for good reason.