he most satisfying joys in life are those of a smaller scale. Winning the lottery might bring about unadulterated jubilation, but the pride of your child bringing home a report card filled with straight A’s ultimately creates a more lasting sense of happiness (at least it should). Buying your first car brings about a certain feeling of freedom, but the realization of the boundlessness of something that you enjoy doing on your own terms (be it artistic, physical, or practical) can bring limitless amounts of satisfaction. No matter how many things you may own or items of prestige you might possess, none of them can compare to the first kiss from a newfound love interest. Or hearing “I’m proud of you” from someone you care about.

This must have been fully understood by Sweden’s Love Is All when they crafted Nine Times That Same Song. Not necessarily in regards to the lyrical and thematic content of the album (if it isn’t quite obvious enough from the band name or the track titles, they’re all about that four letter word that starts with an “L” and ends with an “ove”), but more in regards to what is heard emitting from their lo-fi filtered instruments.

There is a certain unspoken contentment in a song like “Turn The Radio Off” which blends a simple set of xylophone notes to harmonize the barely-distorted, barely-there guitars (without sounding too “twee“). There is a smile that we don’t even realize we are wearing when we hear the albums opening track “Talk Talk Talk Talk” contrasting an unfiltered male chorus chanting the words “ONE MORE TIME!” against lead singer Josephine Olausson doing a slightly higher pitched incarnation of Karen O. The sun suddenly turns on in our brains when the entire bands turns in a bona fide surfer tune on “Turn The TV Off”, only to break everything down into a gorgeous sunset with the album‘s final track, “Trying Too Hard“. There is a certain immediacy and drive about the pace and pattern of the hi-hat crashing on “Busy Doing Nothing” that might be strong enough to revive a car with a dead battery. These are all things that can go easily overlooked when hurrying something along and not taking all aspects of the song in. Nine Times That Same Song invites us in to slow down and, maybe not smell the roses (the album is too forward moving for that), but at least take a good close look at them.

It feels as if Love Is All has really taken advantage of what they had to work with on this album. While there’s clear evidence of their own limitations as a band, both musically and lyrically, their ambition has no ceiling. Though the idea of the “lo-fi recording” sound has become a cliché of sorts in recent years, it is utilized here to give the entire production a feel of a simple and clean matte finish (as opposed to a flashier, but more vulnerable glossy one). It is effective, satisfying, and not excessive. Nine Times That Same Song is not a grand statement of promise and limitless wealth, but a small miracle of humble musical moments. In fact, it’s this brevity in character, charm, and length that proves its greatest strength.