Flowers Must Die

Swedish ensemble Flowers Must Die drew its moniker from a track by the German Krautrock outfit Ash Ra Tempel and occupies a comparable sonic terrain. Although echoes of Amon Duul II and Hawkwind surface throughout their discography, the ensemble’s approach to progressive and psychedelic rock remains essentially modern, a quality made clear on the 2017 album Kompost.

The collective formed in Linkoping, Sweden, in 2006 during the members’ time at art school. Rickard Daun, Martin Daun, Lisa Ekelund, Jonas Höglund, and Sven Walan arrived with contrasting musical histories and tastes that spanned hard rock, jazz, soul, disco, and blues. Their self-titled debut EP appeared in 2010, after which further albums emerged, yet 2017 proved decisive. The addition of Lisa Ekelund on vocals and Theremin widened the age span among the musicians from 28 to 63, while a contract with the British independent imprint Rocket Recordings was secured. Kompost followed later that year, extending the cosmic disco and experimental psychedelia already present in earlier work. Just twelve months afterward the group issued its fifth album, Där Blommor Dör.