First Aid Kit
Ruins
[Columbia]
Ruins finds First Aid Kit still indebted to the folksy heritage of heartland Americana and, as per custom, the Söderberg sisters’ fourth offering fetishises the authenticity of a genre subsequently diluted.
Judicious use of brass and strings keep Ruins lean and endearing, if lacking in bite.
Naturally the duo’s Laurel Canyon sensibilities and pedal steel compulsions do spill over into wholesale honky-tonk homage, but the spotlight keeps returning to First Aid Kit’s USP: the allure of Klara and Johanna’s lilting vocal harmonies.
Words – Killian Barry
