“Heartbreak is complicated, and you constantly alternate between conflicting emotions such as frustration and optimism, when the sadness lies in the words, but the music still carries hope, a balance is created, where the heavy stuff finds space without becoming all-consuming.”
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Acclaimed Norwegian songstress MIIA opens up to listeners with her enchanting new single, ‘I Can Tell a Lie’.
Sonically, the track incorporates melancholic pop tones with elements of Norwegian folk, while the lyrics tell of the sorrow and bitterness that happens when someone we love lets us go.
It’s a song that feels emotional and raw and is sure to resonate with anyone who’s ever struggled with the guilt of being the one who breaks a relationship.
“It tells the story of loving someone deeply while knowing you’re the one who broke it. The lyrics are about self-sabotage, regret, and holding onto beauty even after love is lost.”
MIIA’s music has now been streamed more than 350 million times on Spotify alone – which is no mean feat. Her work has also been featured on Billboard and landed placements on playlists like New Music Friday.
Swedish songstress RIVER has just unveiled a powerful new single that showcases some of the finest alt-pop currently emerging from the Scandinavian nation.
‘I AM CANCER’ is lyrically raw and is complemented by a production that is full of interesting sonic textures. This song blends fuzzy indie rock with nostalgic pop in a way that is really quite unique, and in doing so, evokes a multitude of emotions for the listener.
“‘I AM CANCER’ reflects an infected mind trying to love and receive love through a wall of defence protecting it from vulnerability — and therefore love itself. It communicates frustration around the inability to cure or hide an ugly mind stuck in false self-beliefs, believing it’s unworthy of true love.”
RIVER cites her inspirations as Portishead, FKA twigs and Prince, and you can hear this come through on her songs. If you’re now a fan, then be sure to check out her other songs here.
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“When I was little, I wasn’t afraid to get angry. Now I’ve had to relearn getting mad, and reconnect with indignation.”
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TRACK OF THE WEEK
Alfitude has featured SHY Martin so many times that we should just call ourselves her biggest fans at this point. With that in mind, it won’t come as a surprise to know that our Track of the Week comes from this hugely acclaimed Swedish artist and songwriter.
‘l.o.v.e’ weaves elements of alt-pop with indie and adds a touch of shoegaze into the mix, creating a sound that feels raw and organic, while the melody evolves from understated verses to anthemic choruses.
SHY’s next full-length record is due for release next year. Oh, and fun fact: to date, SHY’s work as a songwriter has amassed her more than six billion streams. Beat that.
One of the most impressive newcomers to come across our radars from Scandinavia recently has been Lemi.
Signed to the powerhouse that is Made (who are already well known for their work with AURORA and Sigrid), this artist creates bold, punchy pop songs that are not shy of delivering drama, as is the case with her new single, ‘Get Him Gone’.
The track was created alongside Whammyboy and Robert Gillies and encapsulates the rawness that comes with being a teenager trying to cope with love’s trials and tribulations. Speaking on the track, Lemi explains:
“I wrote it for me, but even more for everyone else who can relate. It’s not about what I’ve been through, but about something so many people experience. I get really angry, and then I have to write about it.”
“There’s something strangely liberating about writing through discomfort — through the unforgivable. Maybe it’s because it allows you to say what’s never been said, even as you feel a creeping fear of being changed by the story or identifying too closely with it.” – Elliot
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“‘Why did you let me go, when you want to be my woman?’ It was trying to see the situation from another person’s point of view, and in that way I could also reflect on my own perspective.”
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TRACK OF THE WEEK
We’re going to be really honest with you… The first few seconds of this song didn’t connect with us at all.
But we also couldn’t stop listening… and well… we found ourselves completely mesmerised by the end, to the point where this is now our Track of the Week.
‘Y&I’ by DeepFaith (aka Byron Spencer and Danial Stricker) is just an utter delight to experience. Its surreal and experimental production, courtesy of Matias Téllez, bounces between genres as diverse as electronica, pop, synth – and even choral – all the while sounding like a cohesive piece of work.
Alongside the release of the song also comes a music video, which was created by DeepFaith’s closest friends, chosen acquaintances and family:
‘It’s community. It’s the world. It’s finding your people even when things feel or are shit in the church of the night.”
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“‘Love of My Life’ is about the dream of finding true love – and just as much about how exhausting, painful, and endlessly lonely the search for it can be. That feeling of knowing she must be out there somewhere, yet having no idea where to look. Hinge dates, endless nights out, and solo bike rides home through Copenhagen started to feel more and more meaningless. I wrote this song mostly as a way of letting go of the pressure to find ‘the one’ – with the quiet hope that sometimes, it’s only when you let go, that you actually find what you’ve been searching for.”
“It’s about accepting that when you’re living with ADHD – which both my brother and I do – you may never experience life in a ‘normal’ middle ground. And that’s okay. We wrote this as a celebration of that difference” – Lea, ORA
Taken from the new album, ‘:(:’, which is out now.
We honestly can’t remember the last time that we featured talent from Denmark, so we’re really excited to be sharing with you a new artist from the region, who goes by the name of GIMI.
This Copenhagen-based, Danish-Kosovan singer and songwriter has been steadily gaining traction from the release of only a handful of singles so far.
New single ‘Communicate It’ treats listeners to a beautifully introspective piece of dark pop which is sonically experimental but also emotionally charged. Speaking on the track, GIMI explains:
“I wrote this song about this deep rooted need I have for validation. It’s about how we often seek self-worth through the attention of others, turning casual hookups into a search for approval and trying to find your value in someone else’s desire.”
With support from the likes of BBC Introducing, KALTBLUT and The Line of Best Fit, it’s quite clear to us that this talent’s momentum is on the rise.
One of our favourite Swedish pop talents from recent years has been LOVA. This starlet has yet to disappoint us with her releases, and while her new single, ‘It’s Alright’, is a little different from her usual sound, it’s still just as mesmerising to experience.
The production is sonically sharp and minimal, while the lyrics tell of the temptations to settle for just ‘fine’ and inspire us to make the most of our situations in life.
‘It’s Alright’ was produced by Oskar Wildén, who is also known for his work alongside other Scandi pop icons like Dagny and Tove Stryke, and showcases LOVA’s continued evolution through her music.
“I was a really shy, introverted kid, and I tended to keep myself in the background, but I had a lot on my mind,” she says. “I needed music as an outlet to express myself, so I learnt a few chords and wrote a few ideas down in my own invented language.. The more I did it, though, I started to come out of my shell.”
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“It’s my slightly more free-spirited and joyous side. I wanted it to feel easy — like a Scandinavian summer. Flirting can feel so chaotic and stupid, but that’s the best part of it.”
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Norwegian pop artist Mathea-Mari has released a new single this week, called ‘Tired of Fixing A Broken Heart’.
As the title suggests, this is a melancholic pop song with sincere lyrics that was created alongside a stellar team of musicians – Christian Burns, Matt Alvers, and producer Chris Gill.
Mathea-Mari already has an accomplished career within the Scandinavian music scene. Now aged 24 years old, this singer and songwriter first launched her career on Norway’s Got Talent at age 12. She also won the country’s Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2014, which is no mean feat!
“I wrote ‘Waiting for You’ to dance with the shadow of someone I lost. The kick is my pacemaker, the synths are tears of joy in waveform, and a funky disco bass just makes life worth living.”
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“‘Can’t Find You’ is a song about searching for someone, or something, who literally disappears in front of your eyes. The person shows up in very strange places and keeps leaving weird clues, like in the pages your notebook.”
Varas is no stranger to these pages, so it won’t come as a surprise to regular visitors that we’re featuring the incredibly exciting Stockholm-based producer and songwriter once again.
He’s back this week with a brilliant new EP and single that both share the same name, ‘Eaten By Worms’ (stream the full record here).
As always, Varas presents us with sonic art that melds genres together in a way that only he can create so perfectly. Speaking on the lead track, the artist explains:
“The lyrics are loosely inspired by Geryon from Anne Carson’s long poem Autobiography of Red, where Geryon is a boy who is also a red, winged monster. In the song, he longs for the safety of a cage after crashing to the ground when his wings stop working. The track explores themes of self-preservation using whatever resources are available. The idea to write it likely came from the bittersweet nostalgia I felt when realizing I used to handle certain situations better.” With nuanced lyricism and intricate musical layering, ‘Eaten By Worms’ doesn’t just introduce the EP – it demands the listener’s complete emotional investment, setting a provocative tone that echoes throughout the entire collection.”
To date, Varas has found praise from outlets like The Line of Best Fit, Under the Radar, and Earmilk, while his songs have amassed more than 1.5 million streams on Spotify alone.
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If you’re in the mood for some sweet indie pop, then we’ve got the perfect song to share with you today, courtesy of rising Scandinavian starlet Sarah von Reis.
‘Nest’ is a beautifully warm track that starts slow and hazy, gradually evolving into a euphoric climax that epitomises the emotions we experience when we’re deeply in love.
“‘Nest’ is a steamy, dreamy makeout song about one of those nights you wish would never end. There is this running joke in the lesbian community that a typical first lesbian date lasts until you break up. You meet at a bar, have drinks, go to her place and then you just never leave. You ‘U-haul’ and move in together in the first week and talk about the wedding on the second. Nest is about a first night like that, when you put down your sword and cease to exist beyond her arms. Hope this will be a song to keep the heat going through this winter!”
The track serves as another example of this Swedish singer and songwriter’s exceptional talent. Fans can expect Sarah’s debut album to drop next March, with a tour in her native homeland to follow. Exciting times for an exciting prospect!
Danish artist HISSY (aka Martin Grønne) has unveiled this weekend’s anthem, and it’s called ‘Silenzio’.
If you love your indie-pop with an electro twist, then you’ll adore this track. It’s an energising and breezy style of sound, which is really quite compelling to listen to.
Lyrically, the song looks at the effect that people’s words and opinions can have on us – and our desire to simply ‘switch off’ these thoughts.
“The song is about needing to shut out other people’s voices if they’ve moved into your head and make it hard to hear what you feel yourself.”
While HISSY is Grønne’s foray into solo music, this musician is already well known as a member of the acclaimed group Virgin Suicide, which he serves as the front-person for.
In turn, Virgin Suicide has gathered praise from the likes of The Guardian, while also selling out shows across the globe and performing on iconic stages like Roskilde and The Great Escape.
