Twosomeness

The duo of Ásthildur and Jófríður Ákadóttir have made three albums to date and all are sweet, wholesome vocal harmonising indietronica with hidden depths. But this, the second LP, is where the alchemy really happens. The intimacy of close-mic’ed toy instruments, glockenspiels and ultra-lo fi percussion resembles early 00s folktronica-era acts like CocoRosie or Tunng, but the sisters’ songwriting is absolutely vast in its ambition — indeed it’s very easy indeed to imagine pop or stadium indie acts taking these songs to huge success if they were so inclined. Musically it’s like a warm blanket, a place of safety, but eased in by the unforgettable hooks, lyrics like “It only takes this one thing… And everything is torn and ripped” will cut deep and stay with you for a long time.