The Radio Dept.
Lesser Matters

THE REVIEW

In Scandinavia, it's common to have cultural companies; people listen to music, watch movies, read, and improvise private radio stations. One of these companies was called Radio Department, and it ran a radio of the same name.

Four of these guys decided to start producing their own music and began to search for a sound that would distinguish them. They took on the company name and sought a contract. The result was a work of remarkable depth, while remaining faithful to the initial idea of lightheartedness. The Radio Dept. is, in a sense, a fusion between Pavement, Air, Royksopp, Notwist, and Mùm.

They play electronic indie pop based on low fidelity, with sounds that are dirty yet delightful, warm, and enveloping. The riffs they extract are delicate and recognizable, the voice echoing and faint, with all songs being very catchy. The sound quality is at times astonishing, with an endless attention to every tiny noise or interference, all creating that wonderful electronic/low-fi contradiction that makes the album truly unique. The music envelops, warm like a blanket. No excess, no downfall, everything perfect. The atmosphere becomes more comfortable, and the melody seeps under the skin. An hour of serenity.