The correlations between talented musicians and a strangely minuscule amount of countries of origin are shocking. Everyone’s aware of a good chunk of the music-producing hotspots, i.e. your Nashvilles, Londons, and LAs of the world. As frequent readers of the blog will also attest to, I’ve also made it pretty clear that Australia is a sneaky alternative music hub as well. One country that comes out of left field (or center field if you’re looking at most world maps) however, is Sweden. It’s no secret that the Swedes love their house music; there isn’t a widely famous group called “Swedish House Mafia” for nothing. But when their electronically-based modern roots cross paths will the indie culture, catchy Swedish festival bands like Shout Out Louds take the essence of what’s fun about music and boastfully shove it listeners’ faces.

Have you ever heard such a casually exciting flute introduction in your life? The woodwind section does not typically thrill with adrenaline pumping exhilaration, but I’ll admit that I’m tempted to get up get up and move when the intro concludes with a generic yet eagerly awaited “Wooh!” from lead singer Adam Olenius. The whole of “Walking in Your Footsteps” can be perfectly summed up as a modern groove, flowing steadily for a tune that doubles as both captivating as well as easy-listening. The only interruption in this song’s tempered course is one final stirring reboot of the intro serving as the song’s bridge, as every instrument is eliminated other than the synth & beat-keeping bass drum. Olenius throws out one final more extended “Wooh!” that is just as cliche and invigorating as it was the first time, leaving listeners with a series of mini-drum solos and a final chorus that can put an exclamation point on any day.