One of the most impressive indie releases of the month comes from emerging Norwegian artist Hannah Storm.
Once that first chorus kicks in on her powerful new single ‘House of Cards’, you’ll find it hard to not have this song on repeat all day. This fusion of indie and pop-rock is some of the finest you’ll experience from Scandinavia right now.
“As long as I can keep making lots of music and live the life I am living now, it will be the best I could have imagined.”
Mads Koch is already an established artist and songwriter within the Danish music scene, having worked with the likes of Mø, Jada and Goss.
While noted for his collaborations with international pop artists, new single ‘The Lake’ sees Koch in a more intimate, almost ethereal setting. Served in an indie-folk style of sound, the track serves as a thought-provoking observation on life and death.
“I think a lot of us can gain a richer and more beautiful existence by practicing an openhearted approach to the transience of life. Not that we necessarily need to dwell on anxious contemplations about death but in away where we can get through this fear by surrendering to it. This is why ‘The Lake’ is a declaration of love to the little, quiet and seemingly uneventful situations, that our days and lives actually is made of.”
The song is released alongside Koch’s debut album ‘Fingers’, of which he says:
“‘Fingers’ is a declaration of love to the acoustic and clean sounds of instruments in an orchestral setting.The songs find themselves in a field between hope, calm and gloominess, while the lyrics reflects the thoughts that takes up a lot of space inside me.”
There are very few emerging artists from Scandinavia right now that have the ability to construct lo-fi pop with such an effortless flair of finesse as expertly as Danish talent Mercedess.
Dreamy and understated, yet empowering in tone, her new single ‘Back to Business’ tells the story of moving on from a sudden heartbreak.
“Growing up, I’ve always been very sensitive and take everything in. I’m an introverted person in this fast moving, crazy world. But it’s cool. I enjoy my own company, the moments of silence and the creativity it buzzes and making music has created this atmosphere you can dream yourself into – a place, where you can escape reality.”
Taken from the debut album ‘Casa Fantasia’, out later this Summer.
Berlin-based synth-pop outfit Sweet Tempest construct sounds that make an immediate impact – both sonically and lyrically.
The band carry an interesting ethos, in that they hope for people to dance to their songs, while also learning about the duo’s stance on inequality and prejudice through the lyrics.
Their hard-hitting new single ‘White Country’, for example, was created as a way to express the their outlook on the current racial climate in their home nation, Denmark.
Rising Swedish outfit Teddy Failure return with another supreme slice of indie-pop. Lyrically, ‘Be My Guest’ reflects the duo’s philosophical attitude towards life, as it explores the idea of a romance that’s easy come, easy go.
While the song initially comes across as a simple acoustic ballad, the duo also add an element of surprise as they suddenly veer off-road, with a jittery trap beat and a meandering guitar line:
“It was weird, because we added that trap beat, and then we couldn’t listen to it without laughing – we thought it was so goofy.” – Teo, Teddy Failure
Alex and The Alpacas is a 22-year-old Nicaraguan-Norwegian artist and producer, currently crafting some of the most charming blends of indie, rock and lo-fi pop to emerge from Norway.
Produced, written and performed solely by Alex himself, new single ‘Adorable’ is an understated slice of bliss that affirms this Oslo-based talent is one to watch.
“The lyrics of ‘Adorable’ are ironic, and the beat has a video-game-like characteristic. To me this gives the song a feeling of being on top of the world and a sense of carelessness, like on the day you finally get over someone.”
One of my favourite talents to emerge from Finland recently has been Louie Blue. This artist has been releasing sleek fusions of RnB, alt-pop and indie consistently for some time now, despite still being only 20-years old.
Today he unveils his debut LP ‘Division 8’, and with it the new single ‘Call You Up’. The track delivers an R&B sound that is inspired by the musical aesthetics of the early 2000’s, with the artist himself describing it as an “organic, straight forward, old-school R&B song.” On the LP, Louie Blue says:
“I don’t want to pretend that the album is a calculated or a strategically planned collection of songs in specific order. This album sounds like the journey I’ve traveled inside my head in the last two years making this. A lot of songs were left out, but the 15 tracks that I kept on the album are perfect to describe me as an artist right now.”
Emerging from Norway comes 17-year old artist Ea Othilde. Inspired by the likes of Elliott Smith, PJ Harvey and early Bon Iver, this talent crafts a captivating indie sound that feels sincere, emotive and immensely captivating.
“‘I Couldn’t Be There’ is a little indie rock tune about all the things you want to do, all the places you want to go, everything and everyone that’s out of reach. It’s the sound of time slipping through your fingers, the soundtrack of roads leading nowhere.”
Hailing from Southern Sweden, Alissa Reah is a pop artist who is still only 18-years old. Today sees the release of her new single ‘YOU’, marking Reah as one of Scandinavia’s most exciting emerging talents.
Beneath the catchy melodic surface the song is a serious subject matter, about growing up and finding yourself:
“It’s okay to feel like you’re growing, evolving and maybe not wanting the same things as before. ’YOU’ is about progress but also about freeing yourself from the influence society and other powerful figures have on you.”
If you’re a fan of Swedish outfit Urban Cone then you’ll already recognise singer flyckt.
Today sees the release of his cover of Nordic indie classic ‘Jonny Boy’, and it is without a doubt one of the catchiest pop anthems you’re likely to experience all week.
“‘Jonny Boy’ is a song written by the band Kite and is somewhat of a cult classic in Sweden. The song really resonates with me. I can relate to going out to escape everyday life and I felt like the song got another dimension with the pandemic. Like a lot of people are going out to numb the pain and all of a sudden they couldn’t do that anymore. To me going out with Jonny Boy means that all the bad emotions are turned off, and that you are in a headspace where no one can touch you. Hope you will like it.”
Forward-thinking musical starlet Tove Styrke consistently pushes the boundaries of pop, and new single ‘Hardcore’ is no exception.
Taken from the upcoming album ‘HARD’ (out 3rd June), this dramatic yet playful song was produced and co-written by Max Martin’s young protégé Elvira Anderfjärd (Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran) and Jakob Jerlström (Tove Lo, Lorde).
“‘Hardcore’ is definitely one of my favourite tracks on the album. It’s about wanting someone hardcore. I took the term from gaming, if you die you die but it’s all in. I also wanted to make the track sound drunk, like when you’re lost in a person. That’s why we made the temposhifts before each chorus. The production is so good on this one, it blows my mind.”
Swedish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jelly Crystal collaborates with Alice Boman on hypnotising new single ‘Happy Ending’.
Timeless in style while also reflective of the contemporary underground scene in Scandinavia, the song is a bombastic declaration of a love story that never existed.
“A love story with no happy ending… about a person that only exists in your head and a relationship coming to an end, even though you’ve never met her. It’s a live recording from the studio in Stockholm, that has many flaws and hasn’t been polished but still has a luxurious sound”. – Jelly Crystal
Danish songwriter and producer Magnus Tempels returns today with a dark and richly atmospheric sound, in the shape of new single ‘For You’.
The song was inspired by those unsettling feelings that one gets when they sense that something is wrong in a relationship – but don’t know what it is.
Drawing on references from the likes of VETO, James Blake and Trentemøller, the song’s extraordinary production provides listeners with a sense of tension that perfectly sets the tone for the lyrics.
“I’ve experienced a stomachache on several occasions that refuses to leave me. A feeling that haunts me until I have admitted to myself that a relationship is coming to an end. That’s the feeling I’ve tried to encapsulate in ‘For You'”.
Hailing from Sweden is newcomer garbagepink. With an invigorating approach to punk-pop, this talent constructs music that could easily serve as a soundtrack to Gen-Z life, while also maintaining a certain nostalgic flair for the 90’s.
‘San Francisco’ tells the story of an on and off relationship, the longing of a different place and how to suck at parallel parking.
Track of the week. Emerging Swedish newcomer Graham Lake joins forces with UK rap star Avelino on the release of massive new single ‘Run em Down’.
The Stockholm-born singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist presents a sleek production on the track as he threads clean guitar through energetic synths, serving listeners with a sound that is immediately captivating and hugely exciting.
“‘Run em Down’ was made during a part of my life when many people influenced my decisions, dreams, and ambitions. My music was the thing keeping me grounded and this song came to be my freeing from all those attachments. ‘FOCUS’ came to life quickly but ’Run em Down’ was even quicker. That proved to me that I was on the right track and that this song was meant to be the follow-up. I never intend to speak on what my song’s true meaning is because it’s different for everybody but to me, it’s a celebration of knowing what you deserve and that nothing besides yourself can stop you from reaching that.”
Copenhagen-based duo Soon return with an intimate and honest pop song in the shape of new single ‘Not A Love Song’.
Lead singer August Fogh delivers a heartfelt vocal performance over this acoustic and minimalistic ballad, which is all about denying the feeling of being heartbroken.
Norwegian musician Monica Birkenes, aka Mr Little Jeans returns today with the superb ‘Better with You’.
The song was written about the exhilarating early stages of a relationship, and speaks to Birkenes’ symbiosis with her co-writers, Drew McFaddenand Leon Jean-Marie”
“I’m at my most creative and honest when I’m writing with people I know and trust. It also helps if I can boss them around and be vocal about what I want, which is what I did most days.”
Taken from the forthcoming project ‘Better Days’ which is out on 3 June 2022 via Nettwerk.
Ten Times may well be the next big Swedish EDM-pop export to watch out for. With over 650k monthly listeners on Spotify and platinum-selling songs like ‘Changes’ and‘All Star’ under their belt, these two brothers are creating sounds that clearly resonate with a huge audience.
A perfect addition to your weekend playlists, new single ‘Let You Go’ is catchy dance anthem with an emotionally relatable story that is sure to win you over.
Danish duo Gorgeous unveil debut single ‘Divine’ today, and as their name entails, what you’ll experience when you press play is indeed very… gorgeous.
Crafting songs together as a team, these two talented musicians complement each other’s work while also being unafraid to embrace their human and musical differences.
The result is a shimmering pop sound that feels organic and understated, yet rich in emotion and character.
“Falling in love easily seems like a veil of euphoria, happiness and fascination. But at the same time, it’s a personal invitation into the life of a complete stranger – and the other way around – where you eventually will have to face each other’s story and what it holds of peculiarities, weaknesses, misfortune and tragedy. ‘Divine’ is about that total surrender – about showing the good and the bad sides when you bump into that “one in a million”-true love.” Maríe Louise, Gorgeous
