This is fine.
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.
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.
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.
It’s clear my listening habits have already turned towards colder climes, drawing inspiration from song’s that have this natural warmth, like the below track from Sweden’s Big Fox. This song’s so sparse that you can’t help but fall in love with the little details, even the simplest little syllabic changes. For instance, the rise in emotion after the 1 minute mark that culminates in the soft whisper of the line “it’s true;” those are the sort of moments my ears live for in works such as this. This is a powerful tune, with a moving story behind it; See How the Light Falls will be released by Hybris in March of 2020.
Sweden’s Black Beach Baby only have a handful of releases to their name, but I’m hoping the nostalgic sound catches some of your ears. I think the guitars might be a slight bit soft in their presentation, which initially has that jangling pop turn that keeps your coming back for repeated spins. But, in the end, the dream quality of the vocals allows for listeners to latch onto a different emotional sentiment, ultimately keeping you around for even longer. This works in the band’s favor, as they unleash a marvelous chorus that definitely had me hoping I’d hear more real soon. Time will tell, so let’s just enjoy this ditty, shall we?
There’s a lot of incredible pop music coming out of Stockholm, but for me, Steve Buscemi’s Dreamy Eyes have been high upon my radar of rising stars. They’ve been popping up in the last few months with new tunes after taking a brief break from making magic; our sources have told us a full-length is lurking out there for 2020. This new tune’s full of bold pop sensibility; they toy with you almost the entire way through the track, building tension with these ringing guitars and soaring vocals. The song’s hook comes by way of the “ooh ooh oohoo” in the chorus; you’ll be hooked on the undeniably catchiness, I swear. This single’s available courtesy of Rama Lama Records.
Andronoids are a fairly new act out of Sweden, and, for me, they’re sort of working both angles of my musical tastes. Structurally, the song has this energetic jangle that offered up energetic pop moments, particularly when the distortion is stripped clean. But, that’s also what I love, as the bounce only gets all the more fun when the track takes on the noisy distorted fuzz. There’s this whole carefree layer to the track that just makes you want to throw your hands in the air, say fuck it, and run off chasing the band down the street. So go on then.
It’s been just over a year since Club 8 released Golden Islands for Labrador, but amidst the release, they begin to work on a batch of songs they hoped would end up as a double album of sorts. We now get a first listen, and while it definitely plays into the hands of the band’s pop history, this furthers the band’s experimentation with its usage of space and lush arrangements. The vocals are so careful, you sort of get that sensation of weightlessness, feeling your body sort of release and float off into clouds…at least that’s what I hope it feels like…unless you’re Marge Dursley. For now, we wait for future news, but in this glorious fashion, lets just get ourselves lost.
I first caught wind of Salt Lake Alley when they dropped a 7″ over on Cloudberry Records about a year ago (also noting the Honeydrips lineage). They’re back with a brand new single, and I’m pretty sure it’ll make your Wednesday. It slinks in with this angular guitar stutter that opens into a more dreamy bounce, giving way for the vocals to swoop in and swoon, hanging the lines “you feel good/so do I” into thin air. Take a breath, and the guitars shuffle their dancing licks into the picture as the chorus forces your feet into flailing high kicks and a grin that’ll stain your face for hours to come. It’s energetic and poppy, with an underhanded charm that will have you coming back over and over again. You’re welcome.
Perhaps the title is misleading, as I’ve definitely covered the various members of Lilla Parasite in some fashion or another, most recently with Are Steinsholm’s other band, Melby. But, this is a Swedish super-group of sorts, though they’re offering up a more folk-laden version of pop music than what I’ve grown accustomed to from the region. There’s this faint warble in the vocal, which I can’t tell if that’s due to singing in English, or if its merely the nature of the song, but distinctive voices always catch my ear. Musically, the band has this almost like glade majesty, as if you were a deer traipsing about in your favorite meadow as some minstrel fashioned a song for your journey. It’s a cool introduction to a band I hope you’ll enjoy.
