Hailing from Oslo in Norway, Veps are a four-piece indie rock band who create a style of music that feels raw and nostalgic, while still being future forward.
Taken from the EP ‘Open the Door’ which is out now.
Category: Nordic Music
Dear Sara – Stupid Things
One of my favourite Scandinavian talents of the year, Dear Sara returns today with the beautiful ‘Stupid Things’, finely balancing elements of electronic pop with an essence of melancholy.
The song contemplates Dear Sara’s idea of love, while also opening up about her innermost thoughts, wishes and dreams.
“I hope that the listener can relate to the song no matter if they’re newly in love, just got dumped, single, married or just completely heartbroken.”
The new EP ‘I’m Not That Sad:)’ is out now.
New Music: Rallie
Another week, another hugely promising talent from Sweden! This time it’s the turn of Rallie, who’s debut song ‘Too Good’ delivers a refreshing twist on pop music.
Minimal yet eccentric, the production feels sultry and devilishly sexy, while the seductive lyrics look at all the exciting ways of connecting when two people meet.
Patrik Jean – Gravitate
Following on from his sensational appearance at Swedish Melodifestivalen (the country’s most watched music series), Patrick Jean returns today with a shimmering and captivating slice of synth-pop; taking you on an intergalactic journey of emotions.
“‘Gravitate’ is a tribute to that person you will always orbit around. With this song I went very conceptual and I let my mind run free with metaphors to describe that love you can’t stay away from.”
Klaptrae – Space, Changed
A gorgeously balanced fusion of dream pop, indie and shoegaze from Danish artist Klaptrae.
This is a sound that feels intimate and delicate, and lyrically sets the tone for upcoming EP ‘Changes’, where the songs looks inward; questioning the paths of life and the doubts that may lie in it.
New single ‘Space, Changed’ is an emotional piece about moving away from the familiar and chasing a dream, to suddenly realise that ‘everything has changed.’
The new EP ‘Changes’ will be released on 25th June 25 2021.
Elias Boussnina – bread+butter
Current Danish RnB really doesn’t get much better than Elias Boussnina. New single ‘bread+butter’ takes a more conceptual approach to the genre, all the while still sounding gorgeously sleek.
AWA – 24/7
AWA is here to serve us tones of soul, brass and pop on ’24/7′. This is a bold and confident sound that creates impact in an effortlessly cool type of way.
New Music: Love Truls
Love Truls is the brainchild of 18 year old Swedish creative Truls Söderman Carlberg. Listening to new single ‘Tell Her’ gives you a glimpse at just how phenomenally talented this artist is.
A true Gen Z songwriter with an innate ability to absorb, filter, and distill various musical expressions, Love Truls also vividly depicts the experiences of a 21st century teenager.
“‘Tell Her’ started with just a nativistic guitar line and vocals; it has transformed and grown ever since it was written in 2018. It definitely has some classical music influences, and I wanted it to be powerful, which Röda Paradise really helped with, being able to take in real strings and shit. Shoutout Röda Paradise!”
Taken from the debut EP ‘Kantande Wanai’ which is out now via This Is Scandinavia.
Violet Days – Shut The World Up
Not only a talented singer and performer, Violet Days also has an enviable reputation within the songwriting world through her collaborations with the likes of The Chainsmokers, Shaun Frank, Cash Cash and more.
Today she returns today with the beautifully anthemic ‘Shut The World Up’, song that feels both melancholy yet rousing, and a prime example of Scandinavian pop at it’s best.
“This song was definitely born under the influence of anxiety. It’s been a frustrating year for all of us, It’s been scary and Ive felt pretty clueless overall. This song is basically my journal of this past year, struggling a bit with myself and some relationships. Sometimes you wish you could just push the OFF button on all the thoughts you cook up in your mind.. Listening to music has helped me a lot with this and I hope this song can be somewhat helpful for anyone out there that needs to feel like there’s more of us out here losing our minds.”
New Music: Daniel Joy
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!” –
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.”
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.
New Music: PLENTY
It wouldn’t feel right to go by a whole week on Alfitude without featuring a Norwegian pop banger.
This time it’s the turn of PLENTY, who’s single ‘For Now’ is a dark and broody club number that serves as a day dream about wanting someone for a moment, but not forever.
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.”
SOFIA – Firm Foundation
Indie-pop from one of Norway’s most exciting new talents of late. ‘Firm Foundation’ serves as a welcome return for SOFIA, with the legendary Coucheron on production duties.
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.
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.”
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.
Hannes – Snooze
A textured and melodic blend of indie-pop and soul from Swedish talent Hannes, who now commands well over 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone.
New Music: Honey.
If you’d blindly listened to this song, I am quite sure you’d struggle to pinpoint what year it was recorded in.
Truth is, this is a new release from Swedish duo Honey. who’s single ‘Summer Fling’ is practically doused in nostalgia and feel-good vibes.