Niki and the Dove, Vacationer

[SCANDINAVIAN NOIR] Niki and the Dove is gloriously Swedish. In a similar vein to compatriots Robyn and the Knife, the band trades in a mix of dark yet earworm-y electro-pop, coupled with the kind of eccentric public personas that would make you or I look like wankers, but those from the Scandinavian Peninsula pull off with stony-faced ease. In this case, Malin Dahlström and Gustaf Karlöf—a duo of indeterminate age who may or may not be dating, and previously played in a folk-rock group they won’t walk about—affect an ’80s boho aesthetic, with Dahlström sporting feathered bangs, face paint and sizable shoulder pads as she wails and whispers over Karlöf’s thundering drum and synth arrangements. But there’s way more substance than style here: The band is already a certified big deal in the U.K. and across Europe, first turning heads with 2010’s tribal dance floor anthem “DJ, Ease My Mind,” then sealing the deal with 2012 debut LP, Instinct. Now with Sub Pop behind them, the potential is there to break properly in the states. If not, like eating salty licorice and illegally torrent-ing episodes of Bron/Broen, consider adopting Niki and the Dove as another one of those exotic Nordic treats your friends will never truly understand.

Where: Doug Fir Lounge
Phone: 231-9663
Address: 830 E Burnside St.
Website: www.dougfirlounge.com