September 22, 2013 will never escape my mind. That night my friend Zobaida and I went to see the Swedish electro- pop-punk duo Icona Pop at the Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia. In fact, I’m still on a concert high from it, but I don’t care…I love it!
The sexy duo released their first video (I Love It) in May 2012. During that summer their soon to be worldwide smash was the theme song for MTV’s “Snooki & Jwoww.
Slowly, the song started to chart in various countries and by November 14th their first album was released, but only in Sweden. From there on, “I Love It” appeared in countless TV shows and commercials.
Surprisingly, it took an episode of “Girls” back in February to launch this song to national success. By this past summer, it officially became a “summer anthem” after peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
After months of touring and performing on television, Icona Pop have just released their second album in the United Sates, and very soon the rest of the world. “This Is…Icona Pop” features eight brand new tracks and three from their debut. The opener of course is “I Love It”, followed by their new single “All Night”.
The latter will be a test to see if this song catches on, as it will be released to radio in the coming weeks. If not, then the duo might live in the “One Hit Wonder” territory as some critics might suggest.
However, I believe “All Night” is catchy enough and has the right lyrics to give them staying power. The song defines their album and their sound as electro power pop-punk. Other potential singles like “We Got the World”, “In the Stars”, and “Girlfriend” all portray that “girl power” message.
Just like every album, there are filler songs, but there are standout songs that really add flavor to their party. If you’re into the rave scene, you’ll love “Ready For The Weekend,” which is full of adrenaline and has been featured on Absolut Vodka commercials.
Overall, this is one of the best pop albums of the year. The duo’s sound is perfection with all the side-by-side harmonies they’ve got going on. Icona Pop writes their own songs which definitely shows.
No matter what becomes of this album, I believe these two best friends are just out there having the time of their lives not caring what the critics say. Their future looks pretty bright.