School's debut (UK) single has timeless, sweeping vocals, delicate stroking guitar riffs and echoing bass lines that wouldn't feel foreign on a release from The Cure.

Over all too quickly, 'SoLong' has similarities to another Gothenburg band, The Knife, but with a more relaxed and less dramatic intensity; it's more about what they're not saying. And although I'd like to think that it's the haunting, acrobatic bass line that gives this song its added edge, it's actually the beautifully balanced sound of the band overall. The vocals dance around the guitar touches, the bass sits just above the fifties pop drums... it's just a wonderful song.

Dammit, Sweden.

Image by Claudia Kent