It’s been an interesting year for Amalie Bruun to say the least. Earlier this year, she dropped an exceptional EP of intense black metal under the moniker Myrkur. She’s now followed that up with the second album from Ex Cops, which she fronts with multi-instrumentalist Brian Harding. Unless you were aware of the fact prior, there’s absolutely no way you could tell that both projects shared a member. If anything, it’s indicative of Bruun’s versatility and her smart approach to looking at the bigger picture from a musical perspective.
Daggers arrives some 18 months following the duo’s debut, and the momentum is not dropped for a second. It’s safe to say the record’s first three tracks are less radio-friendly and more radio-hungry – in a perfect world, they’d be immovable from every radio playlist for the entire summer. Their dynamic is similar to The Kills in that they constantly play off one another’s moves, but Daggers also shows there’s something going on here that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.
Absolutely anything could happen next when it comes to Ex Cops – and it probably will. The world of pop feels like an adventure all over again.
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
Best Track: Teenagers
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE KILLS, SANTIGOLD, LITTLE BOOTS
In A Word: Sharp
