Orion

Orion is the third album from Scandinavian soul group Dina Ögon (Your Eyes). What do they sound like? Well, this doesn’t really do their originality any justice, but imagine a Swedish Joni Mitchell joining Khruangbin as a vocalist, then add a sprinkling of 1970s pop shimmer, and you won’t be far off. Much of the band’s identity comes from the distinctive vocals of Anna Ahnlund, who sings in Swedish.

Orion starts in a blaze of glory with one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard this year – ‘Jag Vill Ha Allt’. It is quite simply a Rolls Royce (or perhaps an upgraded Volvo) of a pop song – elegant, timeless, and precisely engineered. There are other catchy songs on the album – ‘Det Läcker’ being a case in point – but for me ‘Jag Vill Ha Allt’ is somehow a perfect amalgamation of all the things that Dina Ögon do well. Another favourite is the odd ‘Firad’, which feels like it’s tilting at the slightest of angles.

Dina Ögon’s overall sound may not change much, but with compositions this strong, Orion drifts magnificently, like a bloom of translucent jellyfish floating through Scandinavian summer waters.