I stumbled upon Westkust by studying the band Holograms (new to Captured Tracks, they’ve released the synth pop album of the year.) Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, it’s nearly impossible to locate any real information on the band – or more appropriately put, anything in English.
I do know, however, that Westkust translates to “the West Coast” in English. Interesting because there is something inherently American in the band’s music, perhaps nodding to their fascination with the shoegaze of this great land’s DC past (looking at you, Slumberland Records).
Frida Blom’s voice floats with an impossible lightness to deliver the repetition of “We will never die” on “Care”, an example of the band’s stronger recorded material, delicately grasps and brought back to human ground with washed out guitar tones. Summer might be coming to an end, but if this band is anything, it’s seasonal.
And after spending an hour or so translating posts from Swedish blogs, I have come to the conclusion that though it's not yet declared, there’s something the water in Sweden, perhaps akin to pride. And if there are more bands like Westkust out there, I say that’s a good thing.
Stream the band’s latest EP, “Junk,” on their Bandcamp here.
