#322. (of 365) "Your True Name" The Radio Dept.

The Radio Dept. popped up on my radar in the late 2000s, well into the Swedish indie pop band's career, perhaps with "I Don't Need Love, I've Got My Band" or, even "The Video Dept." off their third album Clinging to a Scheme. I did some catchup, fell in love with their music, then kind of forgot about them until sometime in the late 2010s or early 2020, I think when "You Fear the Wrong Thing Baby" came out, which was a prescient single at the time, post-Trump (the first time) and during COVID, and it hit me in such a way that I dug deeper into their back catalog and I fell in love again. The band is unique, at least compared to American indie rock bands, in that they've always been very singles heavy, a forgotten art from the 80s and their music definitely has a throwback '80s/90s style vibe. It's also mostly low-key, hummable, fun and subversive, but probably takes several listens (or decades, for me) to truly appreciate their style. I'm a huge fan, though, as five (!) of their songs have made this chart.

"Your True Name" - The Radio Dept. // Your True Name - Single (2018)