Released in January 2012, 'The lion's roar' was First Aid Kit's second album and - looking back - the moment when Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg went from a promising folk duo to something genuinely special. Their debut 'The big black and the blue' had already turned heads, but this one felt like a real step up - bigger production, more confident songwriting, and a sound that landed them on the map internationally.

Recorded in Omaha with producer Mike Mogis (the Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk guy), the album sits in that lovely space between Americana, indie folk, and classic country. Think pedal steel, close harmonies, flute, strings, and a cinematic quality that somehow never feels overdone. There are obvious touchstones - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Fleetwood Mac - but the Söderbergs make it their own, writing about Stockholm winters and heartbreak with a kind of timeless sincerity you don't often hear from artists in their early twenties.

The title track is a jaw-dropping opener - brooding and expansive, with that haunting flute melody that sets the whole tone of the record. 'Emmylou' became the big single for good reason - it's warm, swooning, and instantly memorable - and 'To a poet' is a slower, more orchestral number that shows real depth. 'King of the world' closes things out with a raucous, mariachi-tinged stomp featuring Conor Oberst, which is a fun, unexpected left turn.

What keeps this album worth coming back to is how effortlessly it holds together as a whole. It never feels try-hard or retro for the sake of it. The harmonies are genuinely stunning, the production is warm without being overwrought, and there's an emotional honesty running through the whole thing that just doesn't date. If you've not heard it in a while, it's absolutely worth another spin.