Ruins

AlbumJan 19 / 201810 songs, 39m 39s
Americana Indie Folk
Popular

“Well, a goodbye never seems finished,” sing Klara and Johanna Söderberg on “Distant Star.” Written in the shadow of Klara’s split from her fiancé, much of their fourth album examines the difficulty of moving on, delivering despair and confusion through breathtakingly pure harmonies. For all the lyrical reflection, there’s a keen sense of forward thinking within the music. “Postcard” and “Distant Star” may offer exquisitely classic Americana, but the duo also draw on dream pop (“Fireworks”) and rippling electronic (“My Wild Sweet Love”) before squeezing a brass band and rowdy, closing-time chorus into “Hem of Her Dress.”

88

6.4 / 10

The Swedish folk duo’s fourth album is a showcase for their sweet harmonies, with some bold stylistic departures.

C

First Aid Kit delivers more ’70s folk-rock mastery with Ruins, while Porches sputters out on The House and Belle & Sebastian go deeper and darker on the second How To Solve Our Human Problems EP. These, plus Tune-Yards, Shopping, and more in this week’s notable releases.

7 / 10

8 / 10

Ruins is First Aid Kits fourth album, and their best album yet.

‘Ruins’ is a lush, expansive release that uses the siblings’ uncanny blood harmony to full effect, elevating their low-key folk songs into something majestic.

9.1 / 10

Ruins is a more mature record with the gentle weight of experience, and a freshly-sharpened edge of cynicism permeating the album's lyrics.

The biggest new releases reviewed by our experts

Our take on the fourth LP from the Scandinavian sisters.

‘Ruins’ cements First Aid Kit’s place in the Americana songbook.

Also: The Residents – The Third Reich’n’Roll, Glen Hansard – Between Two Shores, Starcrawler – Starcrawler, and Daniel Taylor, The Trinity Choir – The Path To Paradise

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Ruins doesn't aim to re-write the indie-folk/country rule book, rather, the Söderberg sisters are just fine-tuning their craft and growing into a comfortable groove.

8 / 10

It appears that 2018 will mark a sort of rebirth year for First Aid Kit. After scoring glowing reviews for their last two LPs (2012's The Li...

7.5 / 10

"I want to give so much so freely/Not have to take it back," sing Stockholm sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg on "Rebel Heart."

(Columbia)

5 / 10

Things only really become interesting on First Aid Kit fourth album ‘Ruins’ when the Söderberg sisters wander outside their comfort zone.

First Aid Kit has gotten exceedingly proficient at imitating their favorite American artists.

You would not note anything particularly Scandinavian about First Aid Kit from Ruin (albeit Hem of Her Dress, in its wordless singalong coda, recalls their compatriots the Concretes).

45 %

Ruins sounds like a failed copy of previously delightful pastiche.

Album Reviews: First Aid Kit - Ruins

What do you call Americana from Sweden?

Swedish sisters are a legacy in the making. Review by Katie Colombus.

7 / 10