Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Iris” by Broen from the 2015 single on Nabovarsel.
Broen - Iris (MP3)
Probably one of the few bands in recent memory to use a tuba in an equal role alongside traditional guitars and synths, Broen's melodic immediacy and efficacy makes the quintet instantly recognizable as a group with brilliant pop instincts. The Norwegian-Greek band (whose name roughly means "the bridge" in English) have spent the last few years becoming an Oslo staple, melding aspects of Graceland-esque African rhythms, new wave danceability, Sarah Records-style melodies, and Britpop stylishness (see: their onstage costumes, pictured above) into an art-damaged take on electronic pop. A single from earlier this year, the buoyant, effervescent "Iris" is a striking slice of pop craftsmanship, albeit one with a slightly dark undercurrent. The band's wavy melodies mask Røe's obssession-laced lyrics ("I didn’t see you at all last night... I really missed you last night"), but her voice's magnetic sweetness places her performance closer to Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend" than Overly Attached Girlfriend. As the final elliptical calls of "You and me! You and me!" ring out, it's hard to deny Røe's or her bandmates' harmonious charms in "Iris", which is another fine addition the somewhat-discomfortingly large pantheon of creepy love songs.
Broen have a string of shows in Norway planned for the rest of the year, but if they announce plans to tour beyond the land of the midnight sun, that news will be over at their Tumblr and Facebook. Below, watch the video for "Iris".
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Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mor…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mor…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mor…
