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Sep 06, 2018 By Christopher Roberts First Aid Kit

Swedish sister alt-country/folk duo First Aid Kit (Klara and Johanna Söderberg) released a new album, Ruins, back in January via Columbia. Now they have shared a video for the album’s “Rebel Heart.” Mats Udd directed the horror-themed video. The band has also announced a new EP, Tender Offerings, that includes four previously unreleased songs from the Ruins sessions. Check out the “Rebel Heart” video below, followed by the EP’s tracklist and cover art.

The band issued this collective statement about the Rebel Heart video: “Once again, we collaborated with our dearest friend and director Mats Udd. We wanted to create a dreamy and mysterious world. It’s an homage to old ‘70s horror films and the aesthetics of that era. ‘Rebel Heart’ was written in the desert after a night of experimenting with an Oujia Board and other occult themed board games. We thought the video should reflect that. It’s a song about identity and femininity. It’s about the destroyer we all have inside of us, that dark force that wants to take over. We wanted to only feature women in the video - the red moon represents a sense of sisterhood.”

The Söderberg sisters had this to say about the Tender Offerings EP in a press release: “When we went into the studio to record Ruins, we had a lot of material. Ten songs ended up on the album, but these four were left behind. Thematically they didn’t fit on a break up record. However, these songs are very precious to us. It was important to make a home for them, physically and online, so here we are. We hope you enjoy these tender offerings.”

First Aid Kit previously shared Ruins track “It’s a Shame,” as well as a video for the song inspired by the Gwyneth Paltrow romantic comedy from 1998, Sliding Doors. Plus there was a lyric video for “Postcard” and another lyric video for “Fireworks.” Then there was a full-on video for “Fireworks” that featured the sisters attending, dancing, and performing at a 1980s prom, complete with big hairdos and vintage prom dresses. Then there was a video of them performing “Postcard” live in a TV studio (dubbed The Rebel Hearts Club) made to look like one from the 1970s, followed by them performing “Ruins” in the same setting. In March 2017, First Aid Kit shared a new song, “You Are the Problem Here,” in honor of International Women’s Day. Then in March 2018 they shared a new video of them performing a rocking version of the “You Are the Problem Here” live in a blank TV studio, dubbed the Rebel Hearts Club, turning it into a bit of a #MeToo anthem. Then they did a session for Spotify where they covered the Kate Bush classic “Running Up That Hill,” from the British singer/songwriter’s 1985 album Hounds of Love, and also performed “Fireworks.”

Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, Laura Veirs) produced Ruins in Portland, OR. The album features R.E.M.‘s Peter Buck, Wilco’s Glenn Kotche, and Midlake’s McKenzie Smith. Ruins is the follow-up to 2014’s acclaimed Stay Gold.

Read our recent print magazine interview with First Aid Kit on Ruins.

Read our recent Fan Interview with First Aid Kit, where they answered questions submitted by their fans.

Read our recent Bucket List interview with First Aid Kit.

Read our 2014 interview with First Aid Kit.

Tender Offerings EP Tracklist:

1. I’ve Wanted You
2. Tender Offerings
3. Ugly
4. All That We Get

First Aid Kit U.S. Tour Dates:

09/06 - Portland, ME - State Theatre+
09/07 - Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion+
09/08 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia+
09/10 - Washington D.C. - The Anthem+
09/11 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel+ (Sold Out)
09/12 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel+
09/14 - Asheville, NC - Highland Brewing Company+
09/15 - Atlanta, GA - Music Midtown Festival
09/17 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall+
09/18 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at The Moody Theater+
09/19 - Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom+
09/21 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater+
09/22 - Phoenix, AZ - The Pressroom
09/23 - Las Vegas, NV - Life is Beautiful Festival
09/25 - San Diego, CA - Observatory North Park+
09/26 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre^
09/28 - San Francisco, CA - The Masonic^
09/29 - Napa, CA - JaM Cellats Ballroom+
10/01 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
10/02 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre+
10/03 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall+

+Julia Jacklin supporting
^M. Ward supporting

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