Family Comes First

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Familjen [EN: The Family] has been away for a while, but Johan T Karlsson’s techno-pop project is back with a politically inspired and forward-looking new album.

Kom is a set of tracks inspired by the current political climate in Sweden. Karlsson reacted strongly to the growth of the reactionary Sweden Democrats political party, and his guests sing about the other perspective: Bebban Stenborg from Shout Out Louds makes an appearance, singing a song inspired by Syrian refugees; while Sabrina Ibenjellal from Revolution Poetry joins to put across a feminist message.

This isn’t Brechtian agit pop, however – there are moments for dance and contemplation, much as there are in the work of Germany’s Apparat. The video for ”Rök och seglar” [EN: ”Smoke and Mirrors”] finds Karlsson sitting on a chair in various natural and urban locations, taking it in, instead of throwing shapes.

Kom is the fourth studio album from Familjen. It has a techno spine, but the body of material goes beyond simple beats. With its political hues, it will clear Nazis from the dancefloor and make more space for the rest of us.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Related posts

Making Progress in Gothenburg

Hit Me with Your Rhythm Schtick: Orbit Returns

No. 3 in a Series: The Return of Propaganda