Their music speaks of mystical lakes, enchanted forests and magical creatures. Gentle acoustic instruments are interspersed with a heavier tapestry, somber echoes and ageless reverent harmonies. Small Feet are, not surprisingly, Scandinavian bred. This Stockholm band proudly carries and beautifully portrays long, cold winters and a rich folkloric tradition. This is not to say that I wouldn’t equally welcome a Swedish punk rock band or synth-pop outfit, but I’ll readily admit to falling in love with bands that carry forward the music of their heritage, bringing in their modern sensibilities to create something freshly contemporary yet steeped in the distant past. It’s a beautiful thing. The video for their song “Rivers” perfectly matches this song. That is to say, it’s haunting and mysterious.

The band’s debut album From Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like The Ocean (on Barsuk Records in the U.S. and CFK Records in Europe) was released back in August. It’s difficult to believe that this is only their first full-length release. They’ve got off to a great start, playing studio sessions around the U.S. and in regular rotation on BBC 6 Music Recommends.

A few songs into the album, “All And Everyone” begins with a whistled melody that’s reminiscent of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ “Home,” but once the vocals and instrumentation kick in, those two bands head off firmly to their unique parts of the world, and therein lies the charm of both. Instead of basking in the sun with a tribe of Southern California hippies, we’re immediately swept away by cold howling winds, wild mountain ranges and majestic sailing vessels.

The band features songwriter Simon StÃ¥lhamre on lovely ethereal vocals, along with Jacob Snavely and Christopher Cantillo. From an “island cabin residence,” they created this stunning album, and are clearly poised for great things. For now, they have a few upcoming performances in Italy in December. See their official site for details.


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