Swedish band KÅRP caught my attention at the tail-end of 2021with a fiery track called “It Looks Bad.” The song’s fizzy arpeggios and euphoric female vocals drew comparisons to The Knife’s influential hit “Silent Shout.” I loved “It Looks Bad” so much, I made it my top song of December.
“It Looks Bad” appears on a new EP out today from KÅRP that features three more songs demonstrating the same bright, bubbling soundscape. The EP is called Kris, the Swedish word for crisis.
Kris is the first part of a triptych of EPs coming this year from KÅRP. The series represents the three stages of the apocalypse: Chaos, Silence, and New World Order.
KÅRP began working on the triptych after the release of their debut album in 2019, and the project’s themes soon felt prescient, given the deteriorating state of the world. Here’s what they have to say about Kris:
The first EP, KRIS, brings us right into the chaos and disorientation of the downfall. The world is burning. The police are shooting innocent people to death. Natural disasters and wars are forcing families to flee for their lives. The barbed wire gets sharpened by the wealthy nations’ borders, and a pandemic is closing our societies down in a way that’s never been seen before.
KÅRP hails from Gothenburg, Sweden, though not much else is known about the band. Their first single debuted in October 2017. They call their sound “death disco” and incorporate their love of the paranormal, outer space, and the apocalyptic state of our times.
You can find Kris on Spotify and other digital platforms.
