Karl x Johan
“A Better Tomorrow”
A Better Tomorrow (7″ out 6.24 on Emotion)
Following in Sweden’s rich tradition of prodigiously talented, frustratingly mercurial duos — Air France’s Joel & Henrik, JJ’s Joakim & Elin, Boat Club’s Andreas & Magnus, m83’s Anthony & Claire (jk) — Johan Tuvesson and Kalle Jönsson have spent nearly five years tantalizing us with a string of pristine, emotional pop singles and no proper debut LP. Last summer, the long-awaited debut finally got a date — April 29th, 2014 — nearly an entire year in the future. April 29th came and went, and surprise surprise, we got no album.
But, we have a new single, and oh my word, it’s a doozy. The Stockholm residents have always had a knack for penning stadium sized choruses, aimed straight at the 13 year-old hearts in all of us. The breathtaking, aptly-named “A Better Tomorrow” may feature their most sweeping one yet. Recalling Peter Gabriel as much as Peter Cetera, the Swedes wax emotional over technicolor synths and Rick Allen-esque starry-eyed, synthesized drums. It’s the kind of song meant to play at full-volume in a cavernous, sweaty room to a sea of lighters and outstretched hands. It’s also the kind of song that keeps roping us in, waiting on pins and needles for the complete statement that will officially place them in the rarefied company of their aforementioned countrymen.
