Spiders: Shake Electric

Swedish powerhouse make their way up the retro ladder

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In four short years, Spiders have gone from the ones to watch to the ones to beat. Within months of their formation, they were storming the stage of Sweden’s Way Out West festival and had toured with Norwegian metal heavyweights Kvelertak and Canadian merchants of doom Blood Ceremony.

The Gothenburg quartet effortlessly blend garage punk with classic 70s hard rock: think The Runaways and Bad Company’s drug-fuelled love child. Their first EP was released strategically on 10-inch vinyl, a risky move for a new band, but with their undoubtedly retro sound lending itself to wax and the format’s unexpected return to power, the gamble paid off.

Their unusual use of folk style harmonicas brings a melancholic, bluesy vibe to Shake Electric. Frontwoman Ann-Sofie Hoyles has a raw, husky voice filled with a yearning that places her alongside any of her predecessors. She invokes the likes of Patti Smith and Stevie Nicks in her powerful melodies.

With hard-rocking riffs Sabbath would be proud of, Shake Electric will transport you to 1975./o:p