The Radio Dept. debut "Swedish Guns"

Today electronic pop veterans The Radio Dept. release their new single “Swedish Guns" from their forthcoming Running Out Of Love album (10/21 on Labrador Records). The album is said to revolve around life in modern Sweden, where the government has began the move from a previous center-left ideology to a more right wing approach over the past year. The theme of a hardening of ideals, a direct reference to the Swedish arms industry and the governments anti-immigration support, is the main thrust of the new track. The band sings, “If you want something done/Get Swedish guns/Secure a piece of land/Get Swedish Guns”. 

While The Radio Dept. is writing lyrics with their feet firmly planted in the present headed towards an uncertain future, musically they seem to be looking to the past for inspiration. “Swedish Guns’ has that undeniable, de rigueur, feel of a band straight out of the 80s. (Hi “Stranger Things”).  Big bold synths kick the track off just before the snare, complete with that of the era punchiness, really gets things moving, referencing their Pet Shop Boys-indebted roots. The combination of something that remains thoughtful while, at the very least, making your head bop makes “Swedish Guns” a very welcome addition to the many retro-tinged releases that have been unleashed this year.