Sambassadeur - European

The three words ‘Swedish pop group’: What, or more appropriately who, do they make you think of? Yes, we’re guilty of the same thing; it’s a certain palindromically-monikered Europop quartet, right? We thought so.

Depending on where you stand with said quartet, you will either be pleased or disappointed to hear that Sambassadeur sound nothing like them. In fact, the only similarity is that they too are a four-piece, comprised of Anna Persson, Daniel Permbo, Joachim Läckberg and Daniel Tolergård.

The orchestral-pop group’s latest album, ‘European’, is their third record, and it is their best to date. Their sound is defined by the euphoric, lush string arrangements (courtesy of Permbo and Läckberg) that are particularly prominent here. The album is made into an incredibly uplifting listen because of this.

The focus is on what goes on around Persson’s lyrics, rather than on her words themselves. This is a good thing in the context of the album, for if you concentrate on her lyrics, the mood of ‘European’ is tarnished slightly. For all its anthemic qualities, the lead single ‘Days’ is concerned with isolation and despair: ‘Loneliness is something you’re accustomed to’.

However, when the music and lyrics aim for heights such as the ones reached on standout track ‘Forward Is All’ (Persson sings of progress and redemption as the arrival of the strings provides the album’s emotional high point), the effect is something close to transcendental.

Elsewhere, the upbeat opener ‘Stranded’ is reminiscent of Arcade Fire; the beautiful instrumental ‘A Remote View’ provides a perfect contrast to its predecessor, ‘High and Low’, the album’s only downbeat moment; and the Coldplay-like mini-epic that is ‘European’s penultimate track, ‘Sandy Dunes’, sums up the record perfectly. There is plenty of emotion at the heart of this band; sentimentality and sadness too.

However, ‘European’ is the kind of album that is just made for summer listening. It will come into its own in the coming months, as the background music to scenes like the one that makes up its cover. The record drips confidence and charm, and is startlingly immediate. It seems that ‘forward is all’ is the band’s motto as well. They have developed their sound into something great, and the best part is that there is still some room for improvement. We look forward to it.