I’ve seriously gotta make my way to Sweden someday, if only to discover just what naturally occurring mineral or magical phenomenon makes it possible for folks there to record such fantastic tunes. ABBA, Roxette, Ace Of Base, The Cardigans, Robyn, and Lykke Li — plus writer/producers Max Martin, Shellback, Klas Ahlund, and Kleerup — are among the country’s most memorable pop exports. Tell me an artist comes from Sweden or has collaborated with one of its countrymen, and not only will I be all ears, I’m likely to have a found a new love.

Such as it is with Niki & The Dove, a Stockholm duo that only got its start last January. Malin Dahlström is on vocal duties while Gustaf Karlöf takes care of guitar and keyboards. Additional details beyond that basic information are hazy at best, because the two are fond of offering obtuse responses in the few interviews I’ve read. However, Karlöf has gone on record saying he’s very much interested in pursuing “the perfect pop song.” And if that’s the aim of Niki & The Dove, really, how much more does one need to know?

Niki & The Dove’s “DJ Ease My Mind” isn’t assembly-line pop, nor is it a typical club track, even with “DJ” right there in its title. Like Florence Welch — may the Grammy gods shine down upon her and the Machine this Sunday — Dahlström possesses some powerful chops, the sort of full-throated instrument you imagine could very well command the sea to part if she ever wished it to. Backed by a menacing tribal rumble, Dahlström’s appeal to “pon de replay” is sung as if her very life hangs in the balance. Or more likely, the lives of those poor souls in striking distance of her dancefloor domain, so ferocious is her tone. A crate-digger would be foolish to refuse her request.

The duo’s darkly-tinged atmospheric pop has completely captivated me, though the video for “DJ Ease My Mind” keeps Niki & The Dove veiled in a cloud of mystery. Dahlström and Karlöf are nowhere to be seen, choosing instead to set their song to what appears to be archival footage of a trapeze routine. Fine by me; as long as they keep the good tunes coming, I won’t ever leave their side:

Purchase Niki & The Dove – “DJ Ease My Mind” via iTunes, Amazon MP3. And don’t miss free downloads of two more tunes, “Mother Protect” and “Winterheart,” from the duo’s website. To snag the latter, sign up for their email list.