Category: Nordic Music

New Music: Daniel Joy

https://open.spotify.com/track/009M9qgMYcsK1lpLnRCwYy?si=b80c62cb60bf4906

Indie-pop with a nostalgic twist from Danish talent Daniel Joy. One of the catchiest bops you’ll likely enjoy all weekend, ‘How to Talk to Girls’ is about an insecure young man in a world that expects you to always be on top of your game. But when the game is love, life’s not always easy!

“‘How to Talk to Girls’ is a tribute to the shy guy. I recall the awkward moments in bars, you know, the moments where one of your friends introduces you to this girl, and you suddenly turn into a silent and uncomfortable shell. It’s just as much about impressing your friends, as it is finding the courage to actually talk to a girl you’ve just met. No one wants to be known as the shy and awkward friend sitting in the corner and I can think of a dozen times where a book for dummies or a tutorial video would have come in handy. I still don’t know what’s going on – so here’s a song about it!” –

Daniel Joy

New Music: GREYSKIES

A richly intense pop-rock release from Icelandic talent GREYSKIES. This is a raw yet exhilarating sound that is both bold and deeply emotive in equal measures.

“‘Eyes’ is a song about that feeling when the emotions are overwhelming and you feel like you have no idea what to do to get out of that feeling. It talks about the fears and problems I sometimes have with coping.”

GREYSKIES

New Music: Freddy Hale

An infectiously vibrant blast of nostalgia from LA-based Swedish American artist Freddy Hale.

An already versatile talent with years of experience fronting rock bands like Kerbera and Rosie the Rage, he is now delving into the pop world as a solo artist.

‘Past Life’ peeks through a looking glass into old memories – both good and bad, while bathing in a synth-scape setting of tomorrow.

Taken from the upcoming debut album, which is planned for release later this year.

Freddy Hale

New Music: Kone Mara

Kone Mara are a Swedish outfit consisting of three creative souls with three different creative backgrounds who, by chance, found each other both musically and artistically.

The resulting sound is a luxuriously dreamy and rich fusion of psychedelic indie and pop. ‘The Ordinary Place’ is a transcendental type of song, giving it a sense of timelessness that feels ethereal yet also humbling.

“We met at a breakfast table, and in the early morning hours, a friendship arose. We shared secrets and wrote music inspired by our stories. Coffee, poems, dreams and wishes.”

Kone Mara

mp.oxford – places

I’ve had my ears tuned in to mp.oxford for some time now, so it’s always a delight to hear a new release from this massively talented Copenhagen-based RnB-pop artist.

‘places’ is an effortlessly sleek number that feels finessed and emotive, serving as a refreshing anthem for the summer season ahead.

“The song is a physical and mental escape from the places, and the memories that follow, where you’ve spent the most of your time together with that person you thought was the love of your life.

It happened to me, but it is in no way a special feeling. I think it is one of the most common sides in the aftermath of heartbreak. And it is the constant reminding of the other person’s existence, when you visit these places that makes it so difficult to get over the person and move on.

That feeling is extremely frustrating, because it plants a doubt in your mind, asking you if you really want to move on.“

Taken from the debut EP ‘external heartdrive’ which is out on 4th June 2021.

mp.oxford

Watch: Drew Sycamore – Jungle

Danish-Welsh star Drew Sycamore returns today with an epic blend of power-pop and synth in the form of new single ‘Jungle’.

Drew’s latest album ‘Sycamore’ (out now) was written and recorded in just 30 days, in collaboration with Fridolin and Frederik Nordsø and songwriter Lasse Boman.

“’Jungle’ is made under a violet sky where I found myself in a particularly melancholy nostalgic mood. I was involved and not in love at the same time and everything felt so overwhelming. Life has a funny way of sorting itself out and I guess the emotion that came out in ‘Jungle’ was this feeling of a backwards fall of a cliff into the deep sea. I had to just float and surrender to things unfolding by themselves.”

Drew Sycamore

girl in red – body and mind

Track of the week. I didn’t ever think I would have a specific girl in red song be a favourite (since each release has been excellent to date), but I think ‘body and mind’ might be it.

“It’s that dissonance between your mind and who you are as a person… Sometimes it’s really hard to grasp that we’re actually just humans, even though we take that shit for granted every day. We walk around, eat our breakfast, eat our dinner, we’re talking to people. ‘Body And Mind’ was an outlet to express that I’ve gotten a deeper understanding of what it is to be human. Seeing what happens to your body but you don’t feel that happening to your body – it’s just a really weird thing.”

Taken from the critically acclaimed debut album ‘if i could make it go quiet’ which is out now.

girl in red

Farida – 365 Days

Norwegian artist Farida returns today with a stripped-back mix of pop and rock in the form of infectiously catchy new single ‘365 Days’.

“‘365 Days’ is about meeting someone during a summer vacation, drinking, having fun, but at the end realising it’s not ideal to wake up hung over every morning and the anxiety kicks in too often, so she starts eating healthy and saying good riddance to the summer fling who never wanted to be sober. It’s a nostalgic feel to the song reminding us about summertime and the many memories we create, good and bad.”

Farida

Joel Malka – Monte Carlo

Swedish artist Joel Malka returns with a finessed yet intimate release today. ‘Monte Carlo’ fuses ambient tones of pop with RnB to create a sound that feels dreamy and mysterious, all the while carrying a beat that keeps you hooked until the very end.

”It’s about looking for fun distractions. To me, ‘Monte Carlo’ just represented this state of mind where you can get a break from all your worries for a while. I’ve definitely felt that I could use a break like that, especially in these times, so I hope this song can take the listeners there with me. Like just three minutes without a care in the world.”

Joel Malka

Agnes – 24 Hours

Track of the week. To put it simply, Agnes is one of Swedish pop’s all time icons. Since her debut back in 2005, this phenomenal artist has been releasing hits that have not only become a part her country’s music history, but also achieving worldwide attention.

Now she’s back with a banger of a track that flirts with the classic disco concept, all the while injecting a heady dose of the future into it. It’s an exhilarating song that has been on loop all day.

Agnes

fijitrip – Kill The Game

Norwegian hyperpop wonder kid fijitrip returns with a fantastically warped and left of centre release in the shape of ‘Kill The Game‘. About the track, he says:

“This record is a personification of my conflicting feelings when it comes to my relationships vs my art. The song is kinda saying ‘sorry can’t hang, literally HAVE to go and make songs now’, and that sums up the person I was in my youth and still am. I was never a ‘cool’ person when growing up, I always found myself chasing a lot of stereotypes but never finding myself in a happy place, I didn’t go to parties, I wasn’t like that, I was at home learning how to write songs.”

fijitrip

Emi Wes – Take Me To The Moon

Undoubtedly one of my favourite Danish talents of late, Emi Wes returns with an infectiously catchy blend of soul of indie-pop that gives you dreamy, summery vibes.

This is a playfully quirky sound that still feels effortlessly sleek, all the while glistening with hints of nostalgia.

“‘Take Me To The Moon’ is about a very short-lived fling where you just want to have fun while it lasts, feeling confident in your desires, knowing that you have to go soon. ‘Cause you’re too busy.”

Emi Wes

ViVii – Smackdown

Swedish outfit ViVii have long been a blog favourite for years now, thanks to their trademark indie style captivating listeners across the world.

Now they’re back with a new take on their sound, and it’s a flawless slice of uptempo hazy dream-pop that is perfect for the summer weeks ahead.

“We had enough mid-tempo songs and were eager to do something more danceable. What does it take to make a simple dancing song? We thought two chords at first but then we indulged in a third chord and suddenly it became complete! A tribute to our Swedish music heroes ABBA who we mixed with a little Fleetwood.”

Taken from the new album ‘Mondays’ which is out now.

ViVii