On
First Aid Kit's previous studio album, 2018's
Ruins,
Klara Söderberg was grappling with the aftermath of a broken engagement. Four years later, despite an ensuing pandemic -- or perhaps partly in defiance of it -- the Söderberg sisters emerge with an uplifting, forward-looking set of songs full of bright tempos. Named after a symbol of freedom,
Palomino was recorded with Daniel Bengtson at his Studio Rymden in Stockholm; it's the duo's first album to be tracked in their native Sweden since their 2010 debut. They approached the sessions with the idea of capturing the feel of "an old rock song from the '80s," specifically along the lines of
Fleetwood Mac,
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and
Hall & Oates. Where the album really succeeds in this regard is in its strong, economical melodies and a certain warm, bittersweet depth to the songwriting. This is true even of affectionate tracks like "Turning Onto You" and "Fallen Snow," outright love songs, which have been a rarity in
First Aid Kit's catalog to this point. With lyrics like "Oh, you got me hanging on/Like the words to my favorite song," "Turning Onto You" settles into a toe-tapping folk-rock punctuated by the singers' rich two-part vocal harmonies and the title words' syncopated earworm rhythm. "Fallen Snow"'s uncluttered vintage pop leanings are intimated by a rollicking baseline and crisp, upfront duo harmonies, while "Nobody Knows" ("me the way that you do") was directly inspired by
the Everly Brothers. Its melancholier (but still affectionate) composure arranges sweeping strings, echoing electric guitar, and low bass tones behind yearning vocals. Elsewhere, the acoustic ballad "Wild Horses II" debates versions of "Wild Horses" ("You prefer
the Rolling Stones and I like
Gram's/You know I can't let you slide through my hands"), and "29 Psalms Highway"'s dramatic orchestral pop looks to let go of loss. However, these are the only other borderline exceptions to an optimistic, feel-good outing that's determined to move forward -- and maybe already has. ~ Marcy Donelson