FIRST AID KIT Vinyl & CDs

Review: "Nature's first green is gold. Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So Dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay." Robert Frost's 1923 poem about the noble art of letting go and accepting that life is about ebb and flow, impermanence, comings and going formed the jumping off point for Swedish duo First Aid Kit's third LP. And it certainly catalysed some big thinking for the folk-leaning pair. Released in 2014, Stay Gold was their most ambitious and grand work at the time, both instrumentally and thematically. Dealing directly with their life experiences, making themselves more vulnerable than ever is commendable, while the movements, melodies, and musical ideas move us almost beyond the band's folk roots, into stadium-sized leagues.

Review: It's always pleasurable to watch a band grow into themselves, realise early promises and fulfil potential. It wouldn't be over-egging it to say that Palomino, the fifth album from Klara Soderberg and sister, represents that moment for First Aid Kit. The Swedish indie-pop siblings have been courting praise and attention for years now, but there's always been a sense of not quite being ready for the big time, until now.

LP five is an altogether freer record, to say the least, and as such represents the pair growing into their own skin and finally having the confidence to step out of it. Laid bare, we're given meditations on mid-road trip break ups, self-acceptance, emotional doubts and redemption. Familiar themes, yes, nevertheless everything here is dealt a refreshing original hand.