This debut album from Holy Family is a transatlantic affair, with five tracks recorded in Gothenburg and five finished in their adopted hometown of Montreal. The Swedish duo squeeze every ounce of drama from their voluntary displacement, channelling TV on the Radio's love of sonic layering and The Dodos' sense of melody. Pop is at the root of the songs, even if they're splashed with acid and hardened with programmed beats and camouflaged instrumentation. It's not all showy production; there's soul aplenty. The sublime, tropically tinged My Kayfabe Babe finds Viktor Hansson's dreams turning into fuzz-distorted nightmares, while the singer's shouts of "I never did anything right at all" get fiercer and more desperate on the garage-propelled Keeping Up. Dense, accomplished and highly recommended. melodic.co.uk
Download: My Kayfabe Babe, Keeping Up