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

Ruben Dawnson – Safely

One of Norway’s most promising indie-pop talents of late, Ruben Dawnson has rocketed past 1.5 million streams on Spotify alone since the release of his debut.

And there’s good reason for it; this is a talent who is deeply connected with this work, constructing everything in his own bedroom and not shying away from showing raw honesty and vulnerable emotions.

Look out for the forthcoming EP ‘Sunshower’, which is scheduled for release this summer.

Ruben Dawnson

New Music: Ellison

If you know your Danish pop then you may recognise Ellison from his previous project, SHERPA (who was featured on here countless times).

Now he’s venturing solo with the fantastic debut release of ‘I Could Be Your Lover’. This is premium synth-pop that was made for the dance floor, taking inspiration from the New 80’s vibe which is spreading all across Denmark.

Ellison

SOMA – In the Night

Starting the weekend off with a belter of a pop song from Stockholm-based artist, producer and creator SOMA. ‘In The Night’ exudes good vibes, sleek beats and one hell of a catchy melody.

“This is a song I’ve had with me for the past 3 years. It has seen many phases, several different productional styles and finally found its form on the cusp of the pandemic that we’ve all come to know so well. In March 2020, I made the decision to put the release on hold. At a time when the world was, and still is, struggling to cope with deep shock, friends and family members losing their jobs, and some their health and lives, a song that so brutally celebrated the body felt like a sin.

Today, the same song that started out as a catchy tune with no remarkable depth, is nothing short of a tribute to our magnificent human bodies. Big or small, confined or free to move, in pain or in bliss, our human bodies are the containers and the pure expressions of life-stories. From our nearly unbearable intergenerational trauma to our secret one-night-stands.”

Taken from the upcoming EP ‘Make Me Human’ which is due on 27th August 2021.

SOMA

SHY Martin – Feelings

The weekend has just gotten a little better after listening to SHY Martin’s new single ‘Feelings’.

A low-key pop banger, this track softly builds up before the chorus hits mild shots of euphoria into your blood stream.

“I was going through some major changes when we wrote ‘Feelings’ and felt extremely lost and exhausted. I wasn’t sure I wanted to release more music, so I stopped writing for myself for a while, but after writing this song I found myself listening to the demo every time I was working out or on my way to the studio. The lyrics were pretty much about what I was going through and had been feeling for a long time. It’s about the moment you realise you’re a few words from breaking something that means a lot to you because you’re caught up in feelings”

SHY Martin

Soon – Soda

Hailing from Aarhus in Denmark, duo Soon have created one of the catchiest Scandinavian bops that you will likely listen to all weekend. ‘Soda’ is an infectiously feel-good track that reminds you to stop, smile and appreciate life for a moment or two.

“‘Soda’ is all about letting go of your worries. It came together after a long writers’ block and is a reminder of the importance of naivety and immediacy in life. It’s charming, persuasive and youthful – and we hope ‘Soda’ will make you let go of your worries and inspire you to go after what you really want in life!”

Soon

RoseeLu – F*** With My Feelings

There’s no doubt that Danish talent RoseeLu is shaping up to become one of the biggest pop exports to emerge from the Scandinavian nation. Previous release ‘Playing Alone’ ended up getting featured on more than 20 big tastemaker sites worldwide, including Billboard themselves.

Now she’s back with an equally fantastic follow-up, showcasing a style of music that blends alt-pop with hip hop, while adding a little 90’s nostalgia in there too for some extra goodness.

“‘F*** with my Feelings’ is about the insane state of mind you are in when you are in love – but also the addiction which I know way too well from past relationships

RoseeLu

New Music: Gustaf

Gustaf has been one of the most exciting talents to emerge from Denmark so far this year, in my view.

If you’re a fan of LANY or LAUV then you’ll absolutely fall in love with this 26-year old musician, songwriter and producer. Scandinavian alt-pop at it’s finest, ‘lose u.’ is a sound that is infectiously catchy yet understated in a very cool way.

“‘lose u.’ originates from a fight I had with my girlfriend. In the heat of the moment I said something that I instantly regretted. In the time after the fight, she needed to think things through, it wasn’t really that dramatic looking back, but my feelings of losing her back then were nonetheless true for me. And as a coping mechanism I kinda told myself that what I said back then had some truth to it.”

Gustaf

Whales & This Lake – You Don’t Calm Me Down Anymore

The world may not yet be familiar with Norwegian outfit Whales & This Lake, but this group are one of the most popular electronic indie bands in their native homeland.

And after listening to ‘You Don’t Calm Me Down Anymore’ you too could very well become a fan; this is an emotional ballad which feels almost cosmic and transcendental in it’s style.

“‘You Don’t Calm Me Down Anymore’ is a song about being paranoid in a relationship. Being at a good place in life, but constantly fearing for it to end, for things to change. The mellow sonic mood, mixed with chaotic and desperate musical elements is trying to illustrate this emotional turbulence.”

Taken from their upcoming EP which is set for release on 28th May 2021.

Whales & This Lake