Swedish musician and producer Kristoffer Ragnstam, who records as They Owe Us, has spent over two decades in the alternative scene, supporting the likes of Debbie Harry and Mumford & Sons without ever chasing the spotlight. His fourth album, Katzengold, is a fantastic display of his talents as a songwriter and performer, embracing a consistently hooky rock sound with compelling personality. The 13 songs follow a “cut and commit” philosophy: written fast, tracked in his small Kungälv studio over two extended weekends, flaws kept. “The goal was for me to become honest enough to leave the fingerprints in,” he says.
Opening track “Kids Of The Tape Hiss” quickly showcases Ragnstam’s quality songwriting, channeling a rollicking folk-rock quality with thematic appreciation for family, memory, and the things that stay with us. “My mama listened to Bob Dylan, like he wrote the bible…” his delivery emanates amidst brisk acoustics, showing a generational appreciation for music. “We were kids of the loud mistakes,” his lead presence rings out into twangy guitars, playing like a celebration of music and a love for it. Ensuing track “There Goes My Fairytale” invigorates as well, especially eclectic in its swell from bouncy bass and jangly guitars into an uptick in guitar distortion and alt-rock vigor, present in the “smoke on your skin” visceral prowess.
The highlights continue throughout. “Hymn For The Jaded” dazzles in its stylish piano and vibrant rhythms, with lyrics like “snuck a hit behind the chapel” and “heard the choir in the haze” exuding a sense of revelry, and also a jealousy of steadfast belief from those who remain jaded and skeptical. The aesthetic reminds fondly of The Walkmen here, while tracks like “There Goes My Fairytale” give off a The Brian Jonestown Massacre vibe. The album’s title track stirs as well, its prancing keys and steady percussion pairing with a suave initial delivery, and into a guitar-strumming energy with anthemic harmonic liftoffs.
“Blow Your Speakers” is another fantastic entry, closing the album with raucous, spirited rock enthrallment, amidst lyrics that embrace restless, anti-establishment energy that rejects mundane routines and social pretension, in favor of living wildly in the present. A wonderfully free-flowing, catchy array of folk and rock shines throughout Katzengold, a thorough success from They Owe Us.
