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Moonbabies are from Malmö, Sweden and over the last 11
years have released four albums along with several EPs and
singles, enchanting fans around the world. A duo comprised
of multi-instrumentalists Ola Frick and Carina Johansson,
Moonbabies maneuver deftly through the lush pop landscape,
skillfully mixing psychedelic textures, moody electronics,
and expansive instrumental and studio expertise. Moonbabies
At The Ballroom is the duo’s fourth full-length
album and third release for Hidden Agenda Records.
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Current press...
SPIN MAGAZINE:
"Sweeping, bouncy boy/girl melodies—it must be
Sweden... On
their fourth album, this indie-pop duo—multi-instrumentalists/songwriters
Carina Johansson and Ola Frick—create what finally could
be their Stateside breakthrough. Whether it’s the gauzy,
Fleetwood Mac-tinged harmonies of the hangover plaint “War
On Sound (heard last year on Grey’s Anatomy) or “Shout
It Out”, which reconfigures a familiar guitar hook via
Phil Spector, the Moonbabies deftly mix the accessible and
the bizarre (two short, burbling synth instrumentals), assembling
marvelously eclectic but still coherent pop." (Peter
Gerstenzang)
ALL
MUSIC GUIDE:
"There's just something intrinsically pleasing about
the pairing of synthesizers and acoustic guitars, but since
folks started figuring this out en masse (somewhere around
the time Beth Orton hit the scene), we've been in perpetual
danger of too much of a good thing. Swedish duo the Moonbabies
have managed to stay on the right side of familiar through
varying their approach. As a result, their fourth full-length
album ranges from the Air-like bliss-out "21st Century
Heart" to a folky little guitar instrumental, "Ratatouille,"
that wouldn't sound out of place on a John Martyn album. In
between those sonic extremes, Ola Frick and Carina Johansson
deftly recalibrate the balances to create dreamy ballads like
"The 9th" and more urgent turns like Johannson's
snappy "Take Me to the Ballroom." They even take
the time for a couple of charming stylistic pastiches: "Shout
It Out" playfully lifts the main hook from "Then
He Kissed Me" for its chiming intro riff, and the lengthy
"Dancing in the Sky" closes the album with a shimmering
languor akin to the High Llamas' Hawaii period. So there's
little that's actually new on Moonbabies at the Ballroom,
but the deft mixing of musical styles and influences can be
appealing on its own merits." (Stewart Mason)
Previous Press...
Devil In The Woods: "Their brand of amorphous
pop-which includes elements of psychedelia, avant-rock, IDM,
and indie twee has often obscured the depth of their idiosyncrasies.
On Moonbabies sophomore full-length, the songs have evolved
into more precisely arranged and immaculately produced tracks,
all conveying a near-overwhelming attention to detail and
texture."
The
Big Takeover: "That Moonbabies obviously pay
homage in their songwriting to everyone from Sgt. Peppers-era
Beatles to electro-pop contemporaries such as The Postal Service
is surprisingly buttressed by enough fuzz/power guitar bursts
to catapult these Swedes beyond all things twee."
Resonance:
"This creative duo can go from 70s-inspired folk-rock
to stellar, dreamy creations that could easily dub them the
godchildren of ABBA."
Popmatters:
"Ola Frick and Carina Johansson keep moving forward towards
the creation of the great pop album; a foregone conclusion
for them."
Splendid:
"Moonbabies vision of pop is classically Spectorian insanely
hummable melodies embedded in a wall of guitar fuzz and strangely
looped background vocals... the effervescing melodies and
bouncy boy-girl harmonies imbue it with a playful spirit thats
instantly memorable and endlessly clever."
All
Music Guide: "Indie pop has relied happily on
the hugnkiss of melody and charm for plenty a year, and the
formula has yet to fail. Still its heartening to find
some curious souls willing to plug that sweet sentiment into
greater stylistic wanderlust and groovy electronic adventurism."
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