Photo Provided by Fredrik Etoall

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When Icona Pop was on the verge of exploding a couple years ago, the Swedish duo was getting pushed by Pitchfork, landing on Lollapalooza and playing clubs like the venerable Metro. And while it appeared like Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo would be darlings of the indie scene, the hit meteorite known as “I Love It” featuring Charli XCX propelled them to the top of the mainstream in seconds, a trajectory further reinforced by tours supporting Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and now One Direction.

The pulsating and more soulful current single “Emergency” came a bit closer to the mark of commercial ear candy, but by the time the pair encored with the delectable “I Love It” (cleverly adorned with a snippet of Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen”), it was pretty evident the group will be fighting an uphill battle for the foreseeable future of trying to top one of trendy pop’s all-time treasures.

Indeed the girls have come a long way in relatively short amount of time, and during an appearance at Solider Field prior to 1D, they stepped up their stage presence to stadium-worthy proportions. In addition to the core pair, Icona Pop also brought along two dancers/keytar/percussion players, while working each side of the spacious home of the Chicago Bears like runway models who just so happen to possess sugary sweet harmonies and a handful of the most infectious musical confections to have come from their country since Ace Of Base.

Photo courtesy of Fredrik Etoall

Starting with the back to back blasts of “All Night” and “We Got The World” was a wise choice to get fans preoccupied with today’s biggest boy band out of their seats, many of whom continued to cling to the girl power anthem “Girlfriend.” However, shortly after the train left the station, Icona Pop began showing some limitations, starting with an unimaginative cover of Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out Of Heaven,” followed by a few new tracks that didn’t come close to the contagiousness of the above.

“Clap Snap” was the most notable dud, not just because of its banal beats, but also for an uninventive title sure to get confused with Charli XCX’s much more memorable “Boom Clap.” The pulsating and more soulful current single “Emergency” came a bit closer to the mark of commercial ear candy, but by the time the pair encored with the delectable “I Love It” (cleverly adorned with a snippet of Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen”), it was pretty evident the group will be fighting an uphill battle for the foreseeable future of trying to top one of trendy pop’s all-time treasures.

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