Niki and The Dove’s The Fox EP is pretty short compared to your standard extended player, but it’s oh so sweet. Cliché out the way then, let’s get down to what it is about these Swedes which makes all of us at TLOBF go all fizzy – almost to the point where we feel necessitated to set up a Twitter fan page, demanding they receive the respect and coverage they deserve. Almost. In a recent interview, the duo comprising singer Malin Dahlström and multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Karlöf, spoke of their refusal to leave the recording studio until elated back flips having been incurred. Luckily for the listener, they manage to channel some of that euphoria, wrap it up and deliver it in parcels of art-pop wonderment.

There isn’t always an overriding feeling of jubilation straight from the off, though. What makes Niki and The Dove such an interesting proposition is how they toy with the climax – waiting for the perfect moment to exploit your central nervous system. The delayed pay-off introduces an air of emotional dichotomy, causing you to react in different ways at different junctures. Such a complexity fits in well with the title track here, a song about a woman who confides in a fox to unburden herself – the fox buries all her problems, obvs – and allow her to move on in her journey, free from constraint. Until more issues arise and then, I guess, she finds another fox to take care of them?

‘Gentle Roar’ is a slow burner in comparison, with Malin more mischievous in both tone and construction. By the end of the track it’s unsure if Malin is shrugging off the notion of superstition, or completely consumed by it. Last track ‘Somebody’ doesn’t get given the full studio treatment – what with it being a ‘Drum Machine Live Version’ – but with the debut album all but ready for a release date, it’s understandable why they’d want to hold back a little for maximum impact.

Niki and the Dove “The Fox” 12″ by subpop