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Mar 01, 2021 By Mark Redfern Photography by Olof Ringmar

Swedish sister alt-country/folk duo First Aid Kit (Klara and Johanna Söderberg) have announced Who By Fire, a new live album that consists solely of covers of Leonard Cohen songs, and shared its first single, a cover of Cohen’s “Suzanne.” The album was recorded in March 2017 over two nights at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm and is due out March 26 via Sony Sweden/Columbia. Check out “Suzanne” below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover art.

Who By Fire also features Frida Hyvönen, Loney Dear, strings, a 20+ person choir, and more. First Aid Kit were deeply saddened by Cohen’s passing in 2016, which motivated the concert.

The Söderberg sisters collectively had this say about the album in a press release: “We recently listened back to this concert and realized that this was something out of the ordinary for us. It was a challenge to create a performance that wasn’t centered around First Aid Kit songs. It was something we’d never done before, but everything came together so well. Dwelling deeply into Cohen’s world was a pleasure, he was so prolific as both a poet and a songwriter, and everything he ever put out held a very strong standard. He cared immensely for his work. The band, the guest artists, the atmosphere on stage…everyone had a great passion and it felt magical. This is definitely a record that is best enjoyed listening to back-to-back with no interruptions. Allow yourself to just disappear into Cohen’s world for a little while. “We decided not to edit any of the performances. The flaws are part of the live experience. In a time when you sadly can’t go to an actual physical live show, you can listen to this and imagine you were there…”

Last year First Aid Kit shared a cover of Willie Nelson’s classic “On the Road Again” via a video fittingly made up of fun footage of the band on tour. In 2019 First Aid Kit shared a new song, “Strange Beauty,” in tribute to David Berman of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, who took his own life in 2019. “Strange Beauty” was one of our Songs of the Week. They also shared a cover of Silver Jews’ “Random Rules,” from 1998’s American Water.

First Aid Kit’s last album, Ruins, came out back in January 2018, and was followed by the Tender Offerings EP in September 2018, both via Columbia.

Read our 2018 print magazine interview with First Aid Kit on Ruins.

Read our 2018 Fan Interview with First Aid Kit, where they answered questions submitted by their fans.

Read our 2018 Bucket List interview with First Aid Kit.

Read our 2014 interview with First Aid Kit.

Who By Fire Tracklist (and Credits): 1. Tired (First Aid Kit, Nina Zanjani, Maia Hansson-Bergqvist) 2. Suzanne (First Aid Kit) 3. Sisters of Mercy (First Aid Kit, Nina Zanjani, Maia Hansson-Bergqvist) 4. Who by Fire / As The Mist Leaves No Scar (First Aid Kit, Nina Zanjani, Maia Hansson-Bergqvist) 5. Twelve O’Clock Chant (First Aid Kit, Nina Zanjani, Maia Hansson-Bergqvist) 6. Everybody Knows (Frida Hyvönen, First Aid Kit) 7. Avalanche (Loney Dear) 8. The Future (Maia Hansson-Bergqvist, First Aid Kit, Nina Zanjani) 9. Chelsea Hotel No.5 (Jesper Lindell, First Aid Kit) 10. You Want It Darker (First Aid Kit, Nina Zanjani, Maia Hansson-Bergqvist) 11. If It Be Your Will (First Aid Kit) 12. The Asthmatic (Nina Zanjani, Maia Hansson-Bergqvist, First Aid Kit) 13. Famous Blue Raincoat / Anthem (Maja Francis, First Aid Kit, Nina Zanjani) 14. Show Me The Place (Jesper Lindell, First Aid Kit) 15. Hallelujah (Annika Norlin, First Aid Kit) 16. Prayer for Messiah (Klara Söderberg) 17. Bird on the Wire (First Aid Kit ) 18. Who by Fire (Reprise) / Letter to Marianne (First Aid Kit, Nina Zanjani, Maia Hansson-Bergqvist) 19. So Long Marianne (First Aid Kit, Frida Hyvönen, Loney Dear, Jesper Lindell, Annika Norlin, Maja Francis, Nina Zanjani, Maia Hansson-Bergqvist) 20. You’d Sing Too (Johanna Söderberg)

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