Fort Not may sound like they are from the Bay Area or some coastal town along the west coast of the US, but the duo of Fredrik Söderström and Robert Carlsson are in fact from Gothenburg. And as further evidence of the globalization of music, and that specific sounds and genres have long passed being bounded by regional borders, the Swedes release their new record today (as they did with their 2020 LP The Club is Open) through a Spanish label (Meritorio).
So why the association with California? Well, Depressed For Success offers a pleasant mix of sunny slacker garage pop with smooth vocal melodies. This is beach-ready Pop music with a capital P. But what makes this new LP, the band’s third, especially enjoyable is its variation. It goes from lo-fi balladry to upbeat and exciting and everything in between. The guitars are at times strummy and at other times jangly. Last week, I wrote about the relaxing qualities of Neil Brogan’s new record, and Depressed For Succes is quite similar.
Highlights for me are the massive pop hits Tell Me Nothing and Ringo Starr, two songs with a chorus you’ll be singing along to from the get-go. A for Effort is another standout – the title a self-fulfilling prophecy perhaps? With Depressed For Succes, Fort Not have mastered the art of knowing when your melodies are strong enough and you can leave out unnecessary ballast. Simplicity can be a beautiful thing, indeed.
Buy Depressed For Success on vinyl at Meritorio Records.