Tag: sweden

Pleased to Meet You: Nicky William

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We’ve all been enjoying the singles from the forthcoming Bill Callahan, and in searching that sound, I came onto Sweden’s Nicky William. Why the Callahan reference? Well, mostly it has to do with the vocal tones emanating from your speakers at the moment. Lyrically, I think he actually plays upon the Berman side of the genre, offering up these subtly humorous lines that most listeners would find endearing. It’s a mellow jam for you to start out Tuesday, with the promise that Nicky will be delivering more music later this year via Stockholm collective Icons Creating Evil Art.

Fort Not Drop Another Charmer

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I can’t tell you how excited I am to hear the whole of the new Fort Not LP; we’ve already been teased with two delectables, and now we’ve got another. I love how there’s an implied nod to indiepop in the band’s sound, though here, they kind of pull back just a little bit to craft this timelessness you only get in the purest of pop purveyors. For me, it’s the vocals pulling that off; they have this sort of breezy warmth, like basking on the beach as they crash into your face. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that its coming out on one of my favorite labels of the moment, Meritorio Records; they’ll release The Club is Open on September 18th.

Fort Not Announce The Club is Open

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Meritorio Records has been one of my favorite labels of the last few years, consisting releasing great indiepop records from all over the world. Their latest signee is Swedish outfit Fort Not; the band have just announced the release of The Club is Open…due in September of this year. This track’s perfect for a Friday; it offers up an immediate bounce and the vocal delivery has the tune feeling awfully familiar (anyone place that?). The duo crafting these songs owe their musical partnership to a tape made by Calvin Johnson, so just imagine Calvin being spun through a sort of indiepop lens. I’m new to this band, so its a pretty solid introduction, if you ask me.

New Indiepop from The Slow Summits

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There’s a certain brand of indiepop that seems perfectly suited for the Nordic countries like Sweden and Finland; I say this because The Slow Summits (Sweden) have just dropped a brand new track that nods back to the perfect sounds of Cats on Fire (Finland). The sound in my brain brings that sort of precision drumming to set the tone, while the guitars do their jangling jig in a circular fashion. Of course, its also all about the vocals, innately dramatic and distinctive, aided here by the appearance of Kajsa Ritso, building in the charm alongside Anders. Go on, give it a listen.

Pleased to Meet You: Croquis

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When a new band rises amongst the quality of Sweden, you clearly have to keep an ear out, which is how I came to you today with news of Croquis. There’s several layers to infatuation with the band’s sound, and I’ll put Wallentin Richardsson’s voice up front here; is gentle and wistful at times, but when pushed he seems to emulate ATH fave Hamilton Leithauser. But, as I found myself pulled into that trap, I began to notice the selling arrangements of the tune, from the constant hop of the cymbals to the swelling strings in the chorus; it all just felt like pure musical magic. The band will release their debut No Longer, Not Yet later this year via Feverish.

The Honeydrips Share Sleep the Day Away

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Sweden’s The Honeydrips have long been on my radar as purveyors of fine pop music, and with their latest Here Comes the Sun dropping on Friday, I wanted to give you a sweet dose of what you’re in for here. At times, the track takes on this beautifully seductive French pop vibe, kind of like a weird combination of jazzy crooning, with Leopoldine Charon offering spoken snippets to fill in the song’s space. But, while the song’s construction is pretty special all around, that little pop hook from Mikael comes in to offer up in that undeniable hook we all crave. It’s a track that combines cinematic constructs with sprinkles of trip-hop and pop sensibility…a musical journey well worth your time. Look for the rest of the record this Friday!

The Honeydrips Announce Here Comes the Sun

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I’ve been a fan of the Honeydrips for some time, and if you’ve got the time, I suggest going back and giving 2017’s Give Each Other Some Solace a few spins. But, for today, we’re focusing on the band’s newest single and forthcoming LP. While the song does seem to have a current relevance globally, dealing with the troubles facing healthcare workers. But songwriter Mikael Carlsson says the song was written before the current pandemic; he indicates that healthcare worker struggles have been an ongoing problem, only now becoming more visible to the public. Musically, I think you’re going to really enjoy this one; it has this casual bounce from the rhythm section, using these delightful keyboard accents to build in some layers that accent Carlsson’s soothing voice. I love the chorus, especially the following string arrangements that move you into the next verse. Heres Comes the Sun, the new LP, will be out later this Summer.

Kluster B Share Graveyard

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As the Swedish outfit Kluster B ready their new LP, they’re really flexing their musical muscles, at least in regards to their songwriting. They’ve honed their indiepop skill-set, but in tightening that, they’ve built in a little bit more flare…as we see in their latest single. In between the melodious moments of dreamy pop, they get crunchy, finding expression in the noisier corners of their sound. They surround the melody in this brief crashing of instrumentation, like a distorted cocoon, before slinking back into their poppier side. B, the new album, will be out April 17th via Rama Lama Records.

Electro-Pop Number From The Sweet Serenades

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I’ve been plugging away about Sweden based The Sweet Serenades for almost as long as our website has been around. During that time, the band has evolved and changed direction several times while still managing to keep me interested and engaged. Now the band has become a one man band of Martin Nordvall with founding member Mathias Nslund departing the duo in 2014. With that loss, the band has once again evolved to feature a more electronic, atmospheric sound, as evidenced by this new single “City Lights”. It’s definitely more focused on the electronic, pop side of things though still catchy and slow dance inducing just like some of the old favorites that first drew me to this band. For me, it seems like a natural progression to arrive at this more mature sound after years pumping out great music.

The Sweet Serenades just released new album City Lights last week. Orders for the album are up here.

The Legends Share Tan Cologne

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Tan Cologne should definitely be a band on your radar, especially after the release of their debut Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico. Now they’ve teamed up with Johan Angergard and his project, The Legends, to release this light-hearted ditty. It’s the complete opposite end of the spectrum of what you’d expect, considering it involves the US duo, but it’s so so great. My only complaint being that the tune’s just short…and not because it’s short but because I could have it all on repeat all day long. Maybe you’ll feel the same after a couple of short spins.

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