In the spring of 2006, Swedish musicians made their descent onto the indie rock scene. Acts like Jens Lekman, the Knife and Jose Gonzales all found a popular market, prompting hundreds of adolescent Swedes to scramble for the nearest ukulele in hopes of cashing in on their peers’ success. Unfortunately, the movement was much like the British invasion of the ’60s — in the wake of success came watered-down imitations, lacking both diversity and songwriting ability.

Luckily, Sally Shapiro’s Disco Romance uses the current Swedish sound sparingly, choosing instead to focus mainly on the textures of ’80s synth pop. The opening single, “I’ll Be By Your Side,” begins with one such repeating, ascending line; complemented by a steady backbeat, it glides effortlessly from verse to chorus, tied together by Shapiro’s shimmering vocals. Standout track “I Know” combines the best qualities of Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” with a vocal take that could be found on the Knife’s 2004 release, Deep Cuts. The results are hypnotic, filled with hooks and pop sensibilities that disappear as quickly as they are introduced.

One complication with Disco Romance is that each cut goes well over the four-minute mark. As a result, the tracks rely on heavy repetition that inevitably causes the listener to lose focus on songs that had been fully realized two minutes earlier.

Despite this, Disco Romance remains a beautiful record. The album closes with a remix of “I’ll Be By Your Side,” replacing synths with a dominant electro beat and muted blips. The track takes on a darker quality, revealing complexity within an album that could otherwise be interpreted as a simple piece of pop. Shapiro’s work will undoubtedly maintain its beauty long after the trend it was born into has died.