First Aid Kit, “Emmylou”

by Blanca Mendez

Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg are First Aid Kit, a folk duo known for their oh-so-lovely harmonies and top-notch storytelling skills. After wowing everyone with their cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” back in 2008, they went on to release an EP as well as a gorgeous full-length debut, The Big Black and the Blue. Their upcoming sophomore effort, The Lion’s Roar (out January 24), is already promising, with a captivating title track and its accompanying Narnia-evoking video.

“Emmylou,” the second Lion’s Roar track to surface, is a sweet tribute to country musicians like June Carter, Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons, and, of course, Emmylou Harris — and about how special it is to sing with your boo. Doing a drunken karaoke “Total Eclipse of the Heart” with your best friend feels amazing, so singing a song that you wrote with someone you love (like your sister!) must be so so dope. The video, shot at Joshua Tree National Park, is really pretty and has a cool little treasure chest thing that emits orange smoke. There’s also a lot of trancey dancing in the desert, which is maybe a warm-up for Coachella, where First Aid Kit will soon perform.

Blanca Méndez writes about music sometimes.