Released: December 2002

Karin and Olof would never sound this human again; caught in the grip of broken promises and infidelity, ‘Heartbeats’ become a sort of unofficial template for the Scandinavian pop that would follow in the next decade. Deep synth chords ruminate, as processed drums click off whilst someone plays the cowbell as if it were a steel drum. Karin delivers perhaps the prettiest vocal of her career and equally Olof’s synth playing sounds rather quaint considering what they would come up with later. Sounding winningly fresh almost 10 years on, it’s perhaps The Knife’s best pop song in a career full of anti-pop peaks. (PE)