swedeandsour

[swedeandsour]

Soho Rezanejad - L.O.V.E

A resurfacing of sorts, "L.O.V.E" is a track that Danish-American artist Soho Rezanejad had penned approximately ten years prior. Taking a beat-driven approach, the track sonically finds itself impacting more directly. Lyrically more visual and less ambient than her more recent experimental tracks, Soho Rezanejad has established herself as a perpetual shapeshifter of sorts. Revolving around break-beat percussion, pitch-shifting transposition and the stately delivery from Rezanejad's manifesting shouts and exclamations, Rezenejad's "L.O.V.E" is a manifesto of just that - love.

You can check out the track below:

[swedeandsour]

Pale Moon - Spaghetti

A shimmery new offering from Icelandic-Russian duo Pale Moon, Árni Gudjonsson and Nata Sushchenko share "Spaghetti" from their upcoming second album. Carried through slick guitars and its sedating tempos, the track eases through the mellow of its beachy calm. With "Spaghetti", we see Nata's gentle voices piquing through sharp riffs and muted percussion as the single introduces audiences to the rawer, more visceral and organic sound on from their upcoming work. Accompanied by visuals shot against in a Mediterranean landscape, the video directed by Giacomo Soranzio is a not-so-serious character allusion to Árni's first band he formed in the 3rd grade and Nata's poetic musings which hold the band's spontaneity together.

You can check out the track and video below:

[swedeandsour]

KÅRP - Zero Heartbeat

The last single ahead of what will culminate in an apocalypse-themed EP "Radical You", the Gothenburg duo of Anna-Maria Lundberg and Anders Simonsson of KÅRP share "Zero Heartbeat". An offbeat number of shrill choirs and a gooey mash of quirky synths, "Zero Heartbeat" proves as an iconoclastic electropop single. Played out as almost caricature, the single is dark and brooding, yet glimmers in its jovial warmth. Continuing with under their self-described genre of Swedish Death Disco, "Zero Heart" is thematically about the cruel nature of children as played out through the allusion to Scandinavian winters as described in their press release:

"Do you remember that winter in first grade? The first snow had just set and as the bell rang for break, you and your class mates ran out to commence in the first snowball war of the season. It always ended up in total mayhem; bleeding eyebrows, sore heads and freezing finger tips. Perhaps children are the most evil of creatures and empathy grows with age?"

A dedication to their Death Disco genre and their apocalypse-themed trilogy of records, KÅRP created an interactive game where the user can immerse in the world of the Gothenburg creators. You can check out their HIBERWORLD-powered virtual-reality game HERE and listen to previous tracks including the glitchy strike of "Greasy Makeup; the retro-invigorated march of "Perfect Order" with its percolating synths and the tribal haunt of "Honey Play".

"Honey Play"

"Perfect Order"

"Greasy Makeup"

"Zero Heartbeat"

[swedeandsour]

Lust for Youth - Giorgia

Though Denmark’s Lust for Youth and their affiliated personae are no stranger to experimentation in sound, vocalist Hannes Norrvide introduces his first Swedish-language track with “Giorgia”. Sauntering through the lo-fi nudge of synthesizer beats and navigating through the sustain of chafing guitars, the track is quintessentially Lust for Youth. Resonating its yearning calls of Scandinavian melancholy, Hannes' filtered vocals echo of both thankful gratitude and quiet defeat as the track centers over foreboding consequence. Speaking about his Swedish-language first Hannes had this to say:

“’Giorgia’ is about thinking you’ve met someone, but the feeling wasn’t mutual and you were nothing more than a summer flirt. The song is about that chase and about seeking that next rush; trying to find some sort of happiness somewhere else.”

You can check out “Giorgia” below:

Giorgia by Lust for Youth

[swedeandsour]

Morabeza Tobacco - Shadow of the Cherry

A group whose synergies radiate more from the studio than on the stage, Morabeza Tobacco is a Swedish lo-fi duo comprised of Vanilla Stillefors and Gustav Jennefors. Coming off their latest album “Shadow of the Cherry” released last November, recent effort “Saturnus” is a sly, disco-revivalist number. Underlined by the slap of its staccato bass lines and percussion flows, the track oozes with Vanilla’s silken glide as the track’s beat-driven sentiments are offset by the slowness of its placating tempo.  

If one where to compare previous tracks, its evident that Morabeza simply can’t be pinned down to a singular aesthetic. Surely there’s “Teachers in the Mood” a which analogously plays among its themes of lost connections and growing distant. Here with calm, sedating and dreamy notions, “Teachers in the Mood” permeates against the rusty grind of distant guitars and nostalgic memory. We also see on “Shadow of the Cherry” the anachronistic swash of textures that also features “Touch You” featuring the surfy chillwave frost of its delaying sustain and Italo-revival vocal gleam. To add to their diverse palate, “Temperature” flairs with punky riffs and falsetto-tipped sweetness that chirps along to beaming synths and euphoric feeling.

You can check out tracks from Morabeza Tobacco’s “Shadow of the Cherry Below”:

“Temperature”

“Touch You”

“Teachers in the Mood”

Morabeza Tobacco · Teacher's In The Mood

[swedeandsour]

JEZ_EBEL - the humbling chronicles of jez (EP)

the humbling chronicles of jez (EP) JEZ_EBEL Released: June 17th, 2022 / Playground Music Scandinavia AB

Released earlier this summer, “the humbling chronicles of jez" is an introspection of Isabelle Aimee Johannesen emancipation as a woman channeled through her artist identity JEZ_EBEL. A 5-track EP defined by its autumnal moods, the work in question is underlined by its soft, ephemeral fade of melodies over her smoky vocal tones. Opening the album is a track that clearly separates itself from the rest of the record. Album opener “ADHD” is fun and upbeat with rubbery synths and the incessant chatter of fussy conversations and the spit of quick, blabbering raps. Following tracks “Why Do You Believe in Love” and “I WANT YOU” are led by their sedating haze with lethargic pacing over frosty chimes, while “So Sick” follows a certain video game-anthemic to its fluttery Casio chirp. To close the album is the confessional track “Gooood Time”, its ghostly phantomesque filling with its sleepwalking romance and vocalized harmonies. 

You can check out the videos for "ADHD" and "I Want You" alongside the album on Spotify:

"ADHD"

JEZ_EBEL · ADHD

"I Want You"

[swedeandsour]

FAMILJEN - Säg mitt namn (feat. Oscar Zia)

A rare treat from the artist whose beginnings began in Hässleholm, FAMILJEN treats listens to a sterling collaboration after an elusive few years. Collaborating with Oscar Zia on track “Säg mitt namn”, the track features FAMILJEN’s signature synth work with its heavy-set beats and Johan T Karlsson’s breathy vocal soothe. A track written about running away with your lover to a warm and lovely place, Johan had this to say about his escapist single defined by its intricate synth architecture:

“The song is about being less of everything and escaping with your lover far away to a warm country where no one will find you. I thought I wanted to make a duet of this song and thought for a long time who would be suitable. I wanted it to be a person from Scania, so that it would glue everything together and in the end I figured that Oscar Zia was perfect. He is like me, but not at all, and that means that we blend together in the expression in a beautiful way.”

Chiming on the collaboration, featuring artist Oscar Zia had this to say:

“I have listened to Familjen for so many years, so I was very happy when Johan asked if I wanted to do itt his song with him I'm very happy about this collaboration, it's been great fun working with Johan! Always been a big Familjen fan, and have taken a lot of inspiration from his lyrics!”

You can check out the collaboration below showing the two on a wonderful night out of music under the city lights:

FAMILJEN · Säg mitt namn (feat. Oscar Zia)

[swedeandsour]

Dagny - Highs & Lows

A ballad for lovers from Norway’s polar pop princess; Tromsø to be specific, Dagny introduces listeners to latest single “Highs & Lows”. A single that will usher the way for new work that will eventually become her next breadth of work, “Highs and Lows” is written on the topic of unconditional love as Dagny explains:

“I'm very happy to announce ‘Highs & Lows’ - one of the last songs before diving into the process of making a new album. Highs & Lows is one of the most raw songs I've ever written. You could say it's about unconditional love - about steadily standing by someone's side through all the highs and the lows, all the easy and the challenging. I hope this song is gonna feel like a warm hug for someone who needs it.”

A through and through ballad, the Dagny’s hymnal soothe navigates calmly gentle currents of solemn piano arrangements. Peaking through her whooping beckon and wounded vulnerability, the track’s sentiments are magnified through her yearning emotion moving unimpededly through its barely there percussion.

You can check out the track below and revisit the uptempo redux of “Brightsider” recalling the initial days of Dagny’s breakthrough hit “Backbeat”:

“Brightsider”

DAGNY · Brightsider

“Highs & Lows”

DAGNY · Highs & Lows

[swedeandsour]

Daniella Binyamin - Toothpaste Kisses

Though “Toothpaste Kisses” is only the second single to date for Lund’s Daniella Binyamin, the fledgling Swedish-Israeli singer is probably somebody you’ve heard of in another capacity. Mingling with Scandinavian pop talents such as Lukas Graham and Zara Larsson, Daniella has already made a name for herself providing back-up vocals and working as a topliner. With her sophomore single, Binyamin bears the marks of an experienced songwriter, where vivid instrumentals and billowy vocals build into a grandiose ballad. Building on a slow and gradual crescendo, the track is first and foremost a vocal performance. Minimal in its architecture, muted percussion and lush strings allow Daniella’s voice to flow unimpededly on her sophomore single. A song written to highlight Binyamin’s tender vulnerability in the aftermath of a break-up, Daniella speaks of her songwriting experience putting her feelings to words on “Toothpaste Kisses”: 

“The day I wrote ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ I remember feeling everything and nothing all at once. The afterglow of the break-up and the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with it was washing over me, and I went back and forth between feeling free and like I’d lost everything. Me and my co-producer and writer Oskar Nyman had booked a session to write for another artist, but when we met I just felt like I needed to write something else; something real. I needed to get all those feelings off my chest (and) those feelings turned into ‘Toothpaste Kisses’”.

You can check out “Toothpaste Kisses” among the childlike glee and playful tone of debut single “Grand Hotel”:

"Grand Hotel"

Dani Binyamin · Grand Hotel

"Toothpaste Kisses"

Dani Binyamin · Toothpaste Kisses

[swedeandsour]

Ellison - 32nd Floor (Premiere) + An Interview  with Carsten Sherpa Eliasen on Starting Anew, Family Firsts on Everest and Working in Tech

With a brand new track that’s been receiving generous coverage on Danish national radio, Carsten Sherpa Eliasen introduces his latest track “32nd Floor”. A falsetto-tipped track with solid jets of grooving bass lines, the infectious single is the second track under his newly-minted Ellison moniker. While we’ve previously covered his tracks from former project SHERPA, a duo with Oh Land collaborator and producer Tore Nissen, we felt it was appropriate do a little catching up with the Danish artist. Already showing the signs of a veteran hitmaker, we asked Carsten about going solo, the legacy of the Sherpa name on Everest and juggling a busy tech career. 

It's not your first time making music, but first as a solo artist tell us about your latest project and what's new?

First of all it’s my own, which means I'm the one making all the choices. In the beginning there are so many options to how your sound can be, but I’m slowly getting to the right place. It’s vulnerable pop music with a twist of the early 80’s. I’ve always been very inspired by Michael Jackson and Prince so that’s definitely a source of inspiration.

Your previous work was very raw and emotional, from the high highs to the low lows, is it difficult writing about music very personal or rather does it come more naturally?

A bit of both I guess. I like it when the song comes close to reality and you can write about certain situations you’ve been in. However, that’s also very vulnerable, but at the same times that’s where you have something at stake.

Your previous band takes its name from your one of your names Sherpa. I remember you telling me once about your grandfather's legacy on Mount Everest. Tell us a little more about this.

My grandfather was on the first expedition that made it to the top of Mount Everest back in 1953. He’s actually the last one still living from that expedition. A book just got released about him, which made me decide to go to the foot of Mount Everest myself in August with my brother. I wanna see the places he went with my own eyes.

Your previous act involved working with Tore Nissen, what's it like with a relatively young producer yet at the same time has worked closely with names like Oh Land.

Working with Tore was great. We had and still have a close relationship and might work together on some of my new material.

Like many artists you juggle both your artistic and financial needs? How do you find the balance between the two, and while very different, do you find there are similarities?

At the moment I’m actually just working my ass off both as a UX consultant in the day time and then in the studio in the evenings. So there’s room for both right now, which makes me financially independent. Luckily I like my job as if consultant because it’s very creative and I can actually use my graphic skills to make my own music promotion materials. So it’s kind of a good match.

You can check out “32nd Floor” below alongside previous works including the dreamy R&B nostalgia of “For Her” and the boosted pop funk of silken ballad “I Could Be Your Lover”:

“32nd Floor” (Premiere)

Ellison · 32nd Floor

“For Her” 

Ellison · For Her

“I Could Be Your Lover”

Ellison · I Could Be Your Lover

[swedeandsour]

Juno Francis - Hey You Goodbye Me

From psychedlelic pop sounds to Italo-disco glitter, Juno Francis imagines herself simultaneously as a 60′s gentleman and an 80′s lady. Conjuring these anachronistic sounds under a modern framework, its no wonder Juno Francis has caught the eyes of cult label Italians Do It Better and Victoria Secret who has featured her music in their campaigns. With her latest track “Hey You Goodbye Me”, it’s easy to see why music aficionados have fallen under her spell. Fusing cosmic synths with the moody narrative of her disco-coated vox, the single builds over the cascading scale of trickling arpeggios and the sobering mood of its wry hand-claps. The track is not unlike her previous work with Venezuelan-born, Berlin-based producer Alejandro Molinari, where her chic elegance weaves in between the space-age sound of “Symmetry” and the nudging lo-fi glitch of “Sunday Morning”.

You can check out “Hey You Goodbye Me” alongside the previous works of Juno Francis including a throwback to her 2020 EP “Oyster Love” with the quirky buzz of its title track.

“Oyster Love”

Juno Francis · Oyster Love

“Sunday Morning”

Juno Francis · Alejandro Molinari & Juno Francis - Sunday Morning

“Symmetry”

Juno Francis · Alejandro Molinari & Juno Francis - Symmetry

“Hey You Goodbye Me”

Juno Francis · Hey You Goodbye Me

[swedeandsour]

Pale Moon - Clown

After a long awaited return, the Icelandic-Russian duo Pale Moon share track “Clown”. While Pale Moon’s Nata Sushchenko and Árni Gudjonsson themselves are no strangers to dreamy, psychedelic sounds, the single’s washed-out guitar riffs push the envelope even further with its otherworldly character. With its slow and dazed sentiment attributed to Nata’s frosty vocals and the track’s suspending sustain, “Clown” treads slowly through its ethereal convergence. A track which started with an open-guitar riff which had been meticulously reassembled ad nauseum before arriving at its final form, the track itself is an exercise in not taking things too seriously, as vocalist Nata Sushcnenko explains:

"Humor saved me many times. When I need to look into deep dark corners of my mind, I make a joke instead, which doesn't fix anything. That's who I am, a clown. Maybe I feel more comfortable being funny than genuine and I wrote the song about it. It started with guitar riff Árni had and word just went naturally. I don't know if I felt comfortable with word ‘Clown’ first, because if felt I am undressing myself on public, but eventually I gained courage. That's what 2021 was about for me"

You can check out “Clown” below:

Pale Moon · Clown

[swedeandsour]

Tara Nome Doyle - Caterpillar

Ahead of her sophomore LP “Værmin”, Berlin-based Norwegian-Irish singer Tara Nome Doyle presents single “Caterpillar”. A track whose vibrancy of sound is contrasted by its greyed hues, “Caterpillar” pairs its muted rattle of percussion with the towering peak from Tara’s billowy vocal projection. Driven by the heavy mood of its sustaining vocals and church organ spires, the solemn track is offers an introspective into Tara’s perturbed state of mind. Edging between complacency and feelings of depression, Tara Nome Doyle speaks metaphorically of herself as a caterpillar warm in her cocoon, as she expands on the meaning of the track:

"Sometimes it seems to me as if my depression is actively trying to lull me into a false sense of comfort in times of perceived hopelessness. I wanted to explore my relationship with this state that is at once harrowing and oddly tempting, so I wrote ‘Caterpillar’ from the perspective of personified depression."

You can check out “Caterpillar” alongside the gentle whimper of “Snail I” with its rich piano and stringed elegance, and the pitch-bent, Theremin-like tones of “Crow”:

“Crow”

“Snail I”

“Caterpillar”

[swedeandsour]

Estherlivia - hollow

Hailing from Mariestad in Southern Sweden, Esterlivia, the stage name of  Esther Ribbstedt Österman tried her hand at hip-hop production before moving to a more conventional pop route. It’s this beat-driven mindset that displays so prominently in Estherlivia’s pop creations, evidenced by single “hollow”. Mellow basslines that flow with an urban slick are paired with the heady R&B melodramas underlined by angst-driven sentiment. Hitting with grungy kicks and the contrast of her sultry vocal emotion, “hollow” is a wild, tumultuous ride detailed the bewildering daze of a confused, misleading love.

ESTHERLIVIA · hollow

[swedeandsour]

Louise Kahn - Water in Water

From the world’s most northern Jewish community to Tel Aviv, Israel and now based in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, Trondheim, Norway’s Louise Kahn has been a few places. Formerly of Israeli electro-pop outfit Terry Poison, Louise Kahn continues on similar pop trajectories with the glimmering aura on “Water in Water”. Soft and honeyed as witnessed through her tender vocal demure, the single grooves along the slink of its subtle bass lines and flickering guitar riffs. Breathing an air of French disco, “Water in Water” and the glittery camp of its video are inspired by the majesty of her surroundings and the perpetual wanderlust that summons her. 

You can check out the track below:

loukahn · WATER IN WATER

[swedeandsour]

School of X - New Friend

The lead-up single towards the release of his sophomore album “Dancing Through the Void”, Danish percussionist Rasmus Littauer of School of X shares “New Friend”. Smooth and silken yet nuanced in its textures, the track “New Friend” features a plethora of sound. From the hazy ooze of Rasmus’ vocals to the helium squeak of its youthful choir (courtesy his partner, musician Sarah Mariegaard of Soleima), this melancholic number culminates to bluesy guitars and the flourishing touch of its regal strings. Chosen aptly as the final single before his album’s release, Rasmus had this to say about “New Friend”

“'New Friend' is the song that represents this album in the best and broadest way; it contains the width of the album. I wanted to make a laid-back song as grand as possible.”

You can check out track’s from School of X’s previous record “Armlock” including the slow dreamy tread of “Forgot Me on the Moon” and the choral glow of “Bad Love”. Previous singles including the grooving new wave sound of “Away” and  the poppy reggae snap “Race for Caress” will feature alongside “New Friend” on upcoming album “Dancing Through the Void”:

“Bad Love”

School of X · Bad Love

“Forgot Me on the Moon”

School of X · Forgot Me On The Moon

“Away”

School of X · Away

“Race for Caress”

School of X · Race for Caress

“New Friend”

School of X · New Friend

[swedeandsour]

Naah - Better Than Love

A sparkly track that will form the second single from her upcoming debut, Naah, Åkersberga’s, Stockholm’s Hanna Westlin shares “Better Than Love”. Beaming through its distant nostalgia, the dream-laden single is noted by the sweet yet sobering tone from Westlin’s husky tones. Floating through the weightlessness of its dovish synths and reverberating melodic air, its illusory feel echoes a certain melancholy. Standing triumphant yet written after the mourning of a family member, "Better Than Love" serves as consolation. Speaking about the single and its context Naah had this to say about “Better Than Love”:

‘’Last year was the worst time for me and not just because of the coronavirus. I was quite depressed and couldn't be creative at all for the first time in my life. I spent lots of time with my friends and they really helped me through it and when I finally could write again I noticed that I struggled lyrics-wise. Before, I often wrote about heartbreaks but that felt quite off to write about now cause It’s not really a part of my life at the moment. So I wrote this song as a tribute to my friends. It was super easy and fun and I honestly don’t know why I haven’t done it before. They are such a big part of my life and really deserve it.’’

You can check out “Better Than Love” alongside the jingle-like carry and frosty cool of track “Goodbye My Darling”:

“Goodbye My Darling”

Naah - Goodbye My Darling

“Better Than Love”

Naah -better than love