The Mary Onettes - Cola Falls EP (Cascine, 2018)

The Mary Onettes

Cola Falls EP
Cascine
2018

Rating: 9 lucky fat horns out of 10

I’m calling “Cola Falls” from the Mary Onettes an EP, but that’s only because I have no idea what to call a digital only single with two songs (three if you count the instrumental version of the title track, which is still damn great).  It is a step up from their previous two releases “Ruins” and “Juna,” which were only a single song each.  Listen goddammit, this band put out one of my favorite records of the past decade with 2013’s “Hit The Waves,” and I really really REALLY need them to get busy in the studio.  Isn’t Sweden covered in a ten-foot thick solid sheet of ice 3/4ths of the year?  What the hell else do they have to do with their time in their beautiful socialist utopia full of gorgeous blond women that I am in no way super jealous of?

My dumb nonsense aside, anyone who holds “Hit The Waves” in the same esteem I do will be ecstatic at the two songs here, "Cola Falls" and “Wait Out A Ghost.”  Their dreamy/synthy/breezy pop sounds like a convertible ride along the coast on a beautiful summer day, and shockingly are as good as anything they've ever released.  If they can put out a new full-length even close to as good as this release, it will be my favorite album of whatever year it comes out.  That this band isn’t gargantuanly popular continues to be totally dumbfounding.  Also: my kingdom for a live show!  

The Mary Onettes - Hit the Waves (Labrador, 2013)

The Mary Onettes
Hit the Waves
Labrador
2013

Rating: 7.5 vinyl johnsons out of 10

It's been a few years now and I still can't get over the fact that The Mary Onettes are not a garage pop band with a female singer.  The name is just goddamn confusing when compared to the music.  And the music, like the band, feels very very Swedish.  

I had the most random thought while listening to this record - if this band were thirty years older, they'd probably be performing with Midnight Oil.  Why Midnight Oil?  I have no idea.  I think I heard their hit song "Beds are Burning" recently and they've been stuck in my head since.  Their fucking singer is just as creepy to me now as he was when I was a kid and once convinced myself he was in the woods with me on one dark night.  Anyways, the Mary Onettes don't sound anything like Midnight Oil, instead more like a very poppy version of the Cure.  They have a very cool, keyboard and synth driven sound - and by cool I don't mean hip, though that probably also applies.  It sounds like music for a breezy fall afternoon.  

I actually quite like this, and provided I can get over the name I could see this getting a lot of spins over the next few months. 

The Mary Onettes - Love Forever EP (Labrador, 2012)

The Mary Onettes

Love Forever EP

Labrador

2012

Rating: 7 fever dreams out of 10

The Mary Onettes are from Sweden.  Not surprisingly, they play some really nice pop music.  I always wonder if it's the legacy of Abba that has led to so many good Swedish pop bands, or it is something about Sweden itself that produced Abba and all of the subsequent pop bands?  

This particular band is more from the Radio. Dept brand of dark, Factory Records-inspired pop, as opposed to the shimmery upbeat output of someone like Acid House Kings.  The vocals may not match the Cure, but musically there are more than a few moments that could easily be confused with that band (we'll leave the vocal comparisons to the Cure to fellow Swedes the Shout Out Louds).  It's a very enjoyable 15 minutes of music, certainly output befitting the reputation of their label.  I'd always sorta put off listening to this band because of their silly fake girl group name...now I'm greatly looking forward to their upcoming full-length.