Against expectations of what might emerge from the Swedish countryside, Dungen’s latest album, 4, possesses light-hearted moments of absolute joy, taking from Swedish folk music and even classical and tying this into rock n’ roll freak-outs, feedback, and extended guitar solos. While the prog rock moments present on past albums are still a major factor, string arrangements and flute offer 4 a more cinematic and whimsical air. Between Reine Fiske’s masterful guitar-work, tight and jazzy structures, and the nearly ever-present piano, on the part of Ejstes, the new album emits a sentimentality that overrides otherwise traditional rock band instrumentation.

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