Surrounded

Safety in Numbers (Deep Elm)
by Tim Den

Repeat after me: “All Swedish bands are good… all Swedish bands are good… all Swedish bands are good…” Surrounded are (yup, you guessed it) Swedish and (duh) fucking great, as if I needed to tell you. One aural peak into Safety in Numbers and you’ll chalk up another victory for the icy country, as drums crack like burning wood, and synths backfire like classic Mercury Rev. And then there are melodies here that resonate the power of gospels and slide in the air like broadcast signals, barely revealed underneath all the layers but always felt. Epic? Certainly. But like most Swedish bands, it isn’t length or the cosmetics that make them so great, simply the gorgeous songs. Surrounded’s might be longer than most of their fellow countrymen’s, but they’re every ounce as emotionally weighted and spiritually swollen.
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