Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Landing somewhere between Robyn or Zara Larsson in terms of eras and styles, fellow Swedish pop stars Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt, better known collectively as Icona Pop, are in the midst of quite a comeback streak, not that their insanely infectious beats ever disappeared from the dance floor.

Up until 2023’s “Club Romantech,” it had been a full decade since the global domination of “This Is… Icona Pop,” and given the groundswell of momentum since their last long-player, the ladies already returned with the fabulous follow-up “Ritual.”

Chicago’s cozy Lincoln Hall was one of four lucky American cities and clubs where the subsequent tour stopped before it heads to Scandinavia, adding up to 80 minutes of pure rhythmic bliss focused on “friendship, movement, and the transformative power of music.”

The vibe was hot and heavy in the hometown of house come the opening throbs of the brand new title track and “Butterfly Feelings,” though the euphoric synths and sonic sugar rushes would indeed permeate the air “All Night.”

Icona Pop always created a safe space where its diverse fan base could truly be themselves, while tapping fully into the feels of “Stockholm At Night,” “Foreverness” and “S*** We Do For Love.”

Considering each track seemed like a crescendo, it didn’t seem possible the momentum would keep building, yet that’s exactly what happened by “Emergency,” “We Got That Cool” and “Fall In Love.”

However, there was a noticeably elevated reaction to the ubiquitous “I Love It,” the springboard to putting current superstar Charli XCX on the map, but even in her absence, the screaming crowd certainly filled in just fine.

Icona Pop made the pace get even “Faster” towards the tail end, encouraging everyone to “Stick Your Tongue Out,” “Dance To This” and proudly proclaim “We Got The World” like the true ear candy connoisseurs the duo’s become as Lincoln Hall gleefully let loose.

For additional information on Icona Pop, visit IconaPop.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Lincoln Hall include Juice (Oct. 3); Stephen Day (Oct. 4); Harrison Gordon (Oct. 8); Deerhoof (Oct. 9); Dana And Alden (Oct. 10); Asha Banks (Oct. 11); Katie Pruitt (Oct. 12); Jeff Bernat (Oct. 15); Evil Island (Oct. 16); Red Leather (Oct. 17); Tempesst (Oct. 18); Tokyo Tea Room (Oct. 19); Chinchilla (Oct. 21); The Bobby Lees (Oct. 22); The Ike Reilly Assassination (Oct. 23); Greg Freeman (Oct. 24); Wishy (Oct. 27); Yana (Oct. 28); Yada Yada (Oct. 30); Mr. Dave Baby Rave (Oct. 31) and Noah Gundersen (Oct. 31). For additional details, visit LH-ST.com.

Related Articles

Icona Pop steps up stage presence, but falls short of surefire follow-up Melanie C makes the Concord Music Hall “Sweat” and dance over “Sporty” solos, Spice Girls K-pop queens TWICE let ONCE fandom know “THIS IS FOR” 360-degrees of the United Center Sold out from coast to coast, ARIZONA’s electronic indie pop on the verge of mass awareness The contagious electropop of ARIZONA has a sold out House Of Blues dancing and feeling “Ain’t Nobody” better than Chaka Khan, plus Gryffin, drag galore for Pride In The Park closer Allstate Arena can’t get the “Tension” of global pop princess Kylie Minogue out of its head Kraftwerk adapts a “Multimedia,” electro approach to “Autobahn” onward at Auditorium