“We Got Game” by The Radio Dept.

It’s been six years since The Radio Dept.‘s previous album, Clinging to a Scheme. Unfortunately, much of that time was spent in legal wranglings with their label, Labrador. Combine that with the duo’s increasing dissatisfaction with Sweden’s politics, and they certainly have lots to be angry about.

However, you won’t necessarily be able to tell that listening to “We Got Game,” one of the first singles from the band’s upcoming Running Out of Love. Musically, the single is a really solid slice of electronic pop with a nice, dubby groove; fans of classic Pet Shop Boys will definitely dig it. Lyrically, though, there are some pointed observations of government run amok.

To their credit, though, The Radio Dept. don’t let agitprop get in the way of the pop. While Johan Duncanson and Martin Carlberg clearly want to rail against the growing conservatism of their fellow Swedes, they’re just as interested (if not more so) in writing stellar pop songs — which is precisely what “We Got Game” is.