aaamusic | On 09, May 2014

The ‘50s is making a comeback in pop music and I have no quarrel with it. Especially in the realm of female-led songwriters, the brave melodies and empowering lyricism has made a resurgence and though it spans many influences and genres, modern artists like Slow Club and First Aid Kit channel it best while retaining a twee marketability.
Though it can’t all be flowery skirts, dusty trails and a fond reminiscence since sentient wax model and commercial juggernaut Lana Del Rey insists on beating this quirk into submission, making the fifties motif a nostalgic gimmick rather than a respectful conduit of the greats.

But this just makes it that much sweeter when I hear Swedish-Canadian five piece Thus Owls’ new single ‘How, In My Bones’. Intimate and intertwined, the track’s cadences draw from the vintage well as casino keyboard tones shimmer, reverbed guitars crunch and combative harmonies dig deep with equal parts vigour and menace. Thus Owls don’t just endure but inject a much favoured spin on an influence that can often flatlined when not treasured. ‘How, In My Bones’ evokes a hopeful warmth that pop music can still be earthly; can still promote unfeigned soul in a market dominated by the dishonest.

★★★★★

Will Butler