Stream Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation's Stampede of an Album, 'Horse Dance'

A lot of things strike you about Horse Dance, the debut album from Stockholm-based Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation. First of all, the album name is a weirdly perfect fit for the music. The collection of eight songs gallops forward with the momentum of wild horses; it's as if the psychedelic riffs and the trip-hop-inspired production roam free… until they're tamed by Öhrn's seductively ethereal voice. Secondly, you can't help but feel impressed that the band managed to make the dense, divergent influences characterizing the album actually sound cohesive. The songs run through spacey psych, fuzzy guitars, trip-hop beats, stoner rock and even post-punk darkness—yet they somehow manage to feel organic, natural and full of distinct personality and sound. Whether you're making your way through the simmering intensity of a track like "Green Blue Fields" or slowing into meditation with "You Have Arrived", it all feels like it makes sense—making this album a refreshingly solid and memorable debut.

Perhaps we shouldn't be that surprised, though. After releasing their debut EP Diamond Wave last year, the band was nominated for a Swedish Grammy under the category of Best New Artist. They ended up playing Roskilde Festival and built their chops up even further by working with a pretty heavy hitter on Horse Dance. The album was mixed by Stu Mathews—best known for working with respected acts like Portishead and The Horrors.

You can stream the whole album below until it officially drops on Friday, November 6 through Rocket Recordings. You can also check out the band at one of their upcoming shows:

13/11 The Crypt, Linköping
18/11 Shacklewell Arms, London
28/11 Geronimos FGT, Stockholm
10/12 Babel, Malmö
11/12 Folk, Göteborg
15/1 Eurosonic Festival, Grooningen
29/1 Vega (Ideal Bar), Copenhagen