New York City welcomes Icona Pop, the Swedish electro-punk duo whose new single “I Love It” (streaming below) is blowing up. “We just moved here,” declared IP’s Aino Jawo online last week, “so everyone out there who wants to show us a good time, please come and dance with us!” Actually, no sooner did they touchdown, than Icona Pop went right back to Europe for a brief tour where they’ll debut material from their upcoming EP, "The Iconic" (out October 16). Despite their penchant for big choruses and crystal-clear vocals, “I Love It” seems to de-bunk early comparisons to Abba with the line, “You’re from the ‘70s, but I’m a ‘90s bitch.”
Jawo and fellow Stockholm-native bandmate Caroline Hjelt moved from London to New York following last year’s guest appearance on Chiddy Bang’s underground hip-hop charter, “Mind Your Manners,” which took off on both sides of the Atlantic (and was included on last year’s Now That’s What I Call Music 39). Lyrically, their next single, “Ready for the Weekend,” sticks pretty close to the formula, but according to Jawo, “It’s kind of more up-tempo, dance-ier,” which she says owes its vibe to the London scene. “It’s not the same punk feeling that ‘I Love It’ (streaming below) has.” With that in mind, we look forward to how NYC will help shape the duo’s next phase. – Brian Chidester