Icona Pop Declare State of 'Emergency' on New Song

Photo by Paul Morigi/WireImage/Getty

by Jon Blistein

Though the solstice is still a month away, Swedish pop duo Icona Pop have welcomed summer with “Emergency,” an exuberant, feverish new song that boasts vocals from fellow Swede Erik Hassle.

50 Best Songs of 2012: Icona Pop,

While “Emergency” invokes the same kind of breakneck delirium that made Icona Pop’s 2012 breakout hit “I Love It” a sudden, inescapable smash, the pair have swapped the relentless EDM thump for a big band-inspired groove. Anchored by a rollicking piano line, “Emergency” repeatedly builds to an infectious muted horn melody while Hassle, Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo tap into their inner divas to deliver the track’s sultry vocals.

“Emergency” is available to stream on Spotify and for purchase via iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. Per a press release, Icona Pop have been in the studio working on new music, though there’s still no word on an official follow-up to 2013's This Is… Icona Pop. The pair will, however, announce a string of live dates soon.

Icona Pop have remained busy following the success of “I Love It” and This Is. The duo scored gigs opening for Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry and released three new tracks last year: Their own single, “Get Lost,” as well as collaborations with Cobra Starship (“Never Been In Love”) and Tiesto (“Let’s Go”).

“We like when you can listen to a song when you are happy and you can listen to it when you are sad,” Hjelt told Rolling Stone of the pair’s penchant for pop songs with a dark side. “Sometimes we have a message in the song that might be kind of angry or sad, but the song sounds happy.”

Related