Slim Loris
Love and Fear
(self-released)

Love and Fear is the new 11-song album from Stockholm’s indie rock quartet, Slim Loris. The quartet features Mattias Cederstam on both lead vocals and bass, Robert Barrefelt on lead guitar, Leon Lindström on rhythm and backing vocals, and Jonas Ellenberg playing drums.

Leading off with a jangly “Never Danced Sober,” we get Cederstam’s bass up front and Lindström’s perfectly placed harmony vocal. “Higher” follows with Barrefelt starting a simple riff and Cederstam’s acoustic and passionate singing. The chorus just floats with plucked notes, that riff again and Ellenberg’s understated simple beat.

Only two tunes in and you realize you are in very good hands here with excellent songs and truly rich, smart arrangements. We get another riff to hang our ears on with “Violet Haze” and a schnuky, sexy snare beat. Again the mix of harmony vocals here is perfect, making the chorus poignant and like a great Ambrosia lost-love tune. “Down” opens with those harmonies into a ploppy plink of swirling tom tom beat and stark verses. “Kings and Queens” is a sea shanty of a slightly off-tune piano, acoustic, that deceptive snare from Ellenberg and maybe what is the Cederstam’s best vocal on this collection with a horn backing lifted from Tom Waits.

Love and Fear ends with “A House of Our Own,” Barrefelt chunking along with quick horns on a pretty upbeat tune (I was reminded of Madness here) the lyric returning to the title refrain and “Once,” the last tune, with single notes slicing behind those once again great harmonies on a killer lament where we do get some heavier vocal drama, high swipe of drums and cymbals and Barrefelt even managing more distorted moments. A great song on an album full of great songs.