Electro-Pop Number From The Sweet Serenades

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

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.

Steve Buscemi’s Dreamy Eyes Share Set Me Free

The long awaited debut album from Steve Buscemi’s Dreamy Eyes will be here next week, but before it arrives, there’s one last push from the band to turn their way. I love how this song sort of blossoms and explodes into this extravagant pop number. It’s all vocals and keyboards sprouting from the ground, soon joined by a pulse and bubbling bass groove. Once those angular guitar notes arrive, the song takes on this uplifting sparkle that gives the song this boldness I hadn’t heard from the band as of yet. Sweetie is shaping up to be a really huge step forward for the band; it’s out next week via Rama Lama Records.

Lilla Parasit Share Eirik

My teenage years made me a label junky, so a lot of the new music I come across is due to newsletters and updates and the like; Swedish label Rama Lama Records is one such label that’s had my attention for the past few years. Today they’ve shared a new track from Lilla Parasit, which is sort of a Scandinavian supergroup of sorts; it’s a bombastic indie rocker, with all sorts of movement pushing and pulling at the song. I love the opening guitar riffs; they feel gut-wrenching before falling back to let the vocals come through. When the vocals fall away, this is where the band wins your heart; they fill the space with various arrangements, stretching the song into this pop exploration. The band will release their debut mini-album on March 20th.

Steve Buscemi’s Dreamy Eyes Share Forever

One of my favorite things in the last few years, at least so far as the progression of musical trends, is the move to craft pop music that sort of survives around the narrow tropes we’ve concocted, like in this new tune from Steve Buscemi’s Dreamy Eyes. Sure, there’s a definite pop sensibility, particularly in the way the guitar lines jangle and sparkle. But, there’s a heaviness to this tune, one that seems to exist outside our expectations of what pop music is. Part of that comes in the vocals, part of it comes in the descending of the chorus; it’s not uplifting, and yet it is. There’s a bright nature to the brooding, giving you promise through the shadows. Just happy this tune’s out there. You can find it on the band’s new Sweetie LP, which drops on February 14th via Rama Lama Records.

Kluster B Return with Counterpart Single

Kluster B, formerly Kluster, caught my attention a few years ago with their debut album, Civic, but they’ve been mostly quiet since that time. Today they return with a new single, signalling a new LP on the not too far distant horizon. In the song, I feel as if they’re taking notes from the likes of early Pinback, drawing on indie rock influences and fusing them with bits of jazz structure and pop moments. Linnea’s voice haunts the tune during the verses, and shimmers in the chorus as the guitars clang noisily, eventually leading towards a closing that could easily slide into the best of dream pop vibes you’ll hear this week. Keep an eye out for a new LP with their label Rama Lama.

Holy Share Another New Track

Sometimes I feel like I’m a one-man Holy hype machine, but I definitely don’t care. This fresh single from the forthcoming LP is so stunning; I can’t quit playing it. I rush back each time to figure out why it is that I love it, only to find that I can’t pigeonhole or identify much, other than I’m just really taken by the song. It’s so open and intimate at the beginning; it’s almost like an artists baring their soul (as it should be), then it slinks into this electronic-laden dreamy pop number. There’s no words here, just go listen. Ryder is out on February 28th via PNKSLM.

More From Vola Tila

Having just been named to our very prestigious Top Songs of the year list, Swedes Vola Tila are back at it again today with this new single “All Alone”. When compared to their last hit, this one is much more of a ballad style which evolves into some truly beautiful moments. It could be labeled as early MGMT stuff or maybe even a more Tame Impala style slower jam, but it is of course their own style and sound. I think it’s a rather fantastic way to start your Monday.

Lilla Parasit Share Another Tune

I was turned onto Lilla Parasit because of my love of Melby, a Swedish outfit I’ve written about quite a bit; Are, the leader of this group is also in the aforementioned outfit. They’ve just released this new track from their forthcoming album, and I’m just sitting here bobbing my head to the steady drum beat that serves as the song’s background. In a sense, the song sort of reminds me of the propulsive pop moments that made me fall in love with Broken Social Scene; this is catchy and organic, with sort of a natural joyousness lurking in the guitar notes. Americans are always into the cool Swedish sounds, and this is about as cool as it comes; look for the band to drop a mini-LP in March of 2020 via Rama Lama Records.

Another New Club 8 Tune

Swedish group Club 8 are forever shapeshifting, though always revolving somewhere in the realm of great pop music. Their latest single is no different, featuring this heavy groove in background while the vocals sort of ride the natural wave of the song’s melody. There’s a slight lift in the vocals during the chorus, soaring just a note or two higher, empowered by the increased tempo of the beat. It’s a short number, and maybe I would have liked another thirty seconds or another chorus, but if you listen below you’ll see what’s before you is more than enough to capture your attention.

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