Photos of First Aid Kit at 2015 Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI
Photos of First Aid Kit at Central Park SummerStage in New York, NY on July 27th, 2015
Photos of First Aid Kit at 2014 Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX
Photos of First Aid Kit at CMJ 2014 in New York, NY
QRO’s review of First Aid Kit at Wonder Ballroom in Portland, OR on May 22nd, 2014
Photos of First Aid Kit at Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on October 16th, 2012
Photos of First Aid Kit at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY on September 30th, 2012
Photos of First Aid Kit at Bush Hall in London, U.K. on December 6th, 2011
Photos of First Aid Kit at Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ on November 17th, 2011
Country songstresses have been popular since there’s been popular music, but have seemingly gotten a bigger boost in more recent times in the alt-sphere (sort of ever since Kate Austen sang along to Patsy Cline in Season One of Lost…) – though of course now it’s called ‘alt-country’ (which really just means today’s ‘good country’). While sisters Johanna & Klara Söderberg hail not from Middle America but northern Europe (Sweden), they didn’t stand out on their still-nice debut, The Lion’s Roar (QRO review). With Stay Gold, they still don’t reinvent the sound, but do deliver even better.
Gold shines brightest at its start, with songs like the “keepin’ on, keepin’ on” of “My Silver Lining”, the slight afro-pop backbeat to “Master Pretender”, and sadder and grander title track. Yes, this is an alt-country lady sound that you’ve heard already on the radio these days (“My Silver Lining” can’t help but remind of Jenny Lewis’ “Silver Lining”), and it becomes a little more run-of-the-mill in the back half on woodwind-aided tracks such as “The Bell” and “Fleeting One”, but it’s a very sweet one.
Just because a sound is popular these days shouldn’t diminish it, even in the alt-sphere. So Stay Gold, ponygirls…