Swedish musician Namelle is back today with another impressive electro-pop song, called ‘Defense’.
Lyrically, the track looks at people who choose to ignore the warning signs in their relationships, and try to justify their partner’s bad behaviour for the sake of staying together.
The track is Namelle’s first new solo music since the release of her 2022 EP, ‘SALT’ (available here), which has so far garnered the singer-songwriter more than a million total streams.
If you’ve fallen in love with this talent then be sure to check out her recent collaboration with Nitro Fun on‘Call Me Up’, as well as on juuku’s ‘No Turning Back’.
Norwegian singer-songwriter Aiida unleashes an almighty pop banger just in time for the weekend, entitled ‘Stupid Perfect‘.
Lyrically inspired by the anxious thoughts that one can feel when they first fall for someone special, the song’s relatable lyrics and memorable melody are accompanied by a punchy and rousing production.
“‘Stupid Perfect’ is about that initial freakout while dating a special someone that just works, but you find yourself over analysing and expecting the worst. I wrote this song based on my past experience and I know that many of us out there feel the same way about new relationships.”
Aiida’s songs have been featured on national outlets Norway ‘s NRK P3 and NRK MP3, as well as on playlists as prominent as Spotify’s Fresh Finds and New Music Friday Norway. To date, the artist has impressively amassed more than 260k catalogue streams.
Aiida plays Hotel Ziggy in West Hollywood on the 10th May – tickets can be found here.
We are beginning our weekend festivities with a brilliant slice of Scandinavian pop, courtesy of Norwegian outfit Janos.
‘DOWN LOW’ treats listeners to an uplifting and energising sonic experience, and features elements of nostalgia-tinged disco, indie and pop. Through its shimmering production, the song reminds us of the sunny days that lie ahead.
“It’s the promise of summer in a cold spring.”
While still relative newcomers, Janos have already amassed more than 150k career streams to date on Spotify, while also receiving critical acclaim from the likes of Variance Magazine, Celebmix and Earmilk.
It’s a big day for independent Copenhagen outfit WIINSTON, who have just unveiled a brand new single, music video and album.
Inspired by the world of social media in which we now live in, ‘tick in blue’ is taken from the duo’s freshly-released ‘THE LAST DAYTONA’ LP (out now). Sonically, the production treats listeners to a refined and melodic fusion of alternative R&B, dreamy indie and shimmering, lo-fi pop.
“Smartphones have become an extension of what it means to be human. Somehow, it seems like a generation gap is missing, where we’re trying to adapt to the wrong paradigms. Even adults are waiting for their 10 sec videos to go viral while the Arctic is melting faster than the ice cubes in their freshly mixed gin & tonic. Provocative? Sure! But we’re also well aware, that when you point the finger at someone, three fingers are pointing back at you.”
As their first new album in four years, ‘THE LAST DAYTONA’ represents a new chapter in the group’s sonic evolution, as they explain:
“A lot of things have happened since our last album – both personally and creatively. We’ve been in bloom, withered again and found ourselves in the creation of what feels more powerful and right than anything we’ve ever done. This album is the perfect picture of how we currently define WIINSTON; as a genre-fluid space with no limitations.”
To date, WIINSTON have garnered praise from international outlets as respected as Kaltblut, ENFNTS Terribles and Variance Magazine, while also amassing more than fifteen million career streams on Spotify alone.
He’s kept up waiting for almost three years, but Danish electronic artist Rangleklods (aka Esben Nørskov Andersen) is back today with one of the most interesting releases of the week.
Experimental and intriguing in tone, ‘Song We Used To Play’ presents listeners with a refreshingly eccentric mix of electronica, indie and pop.
“It’s a song about a friendship that faded away. You move away, forget to stay in touch, and eventually the relationship is just a fond, hazy memory that you hold onto. And the lyrics, just like the friendship you look back on, are also fading away — only the melody is persistent, and remains.”
In typical Scandinavian fashion, the song seamlessly balances essences of melancholy with playfulness, and leaves us with a beautifully immersive soundscape that is really quite unique to experience.
Since the project’s debut back in 2012, Rangleklods has been praised my most global music outlets – from BBC Radio 1 and The Guardian through to The New York Times, Wonderland Magazine and The Line of Best Fit.
Helax might be a new name to the Alfitude pages, but this Berlin-based Swedish talent is in fact the brainchild behind one of our favourite Scandinavian bands, The Ghost Of Helags.
Today’s release of ‘We Were Never Here To Stay’ showcases Helax’s own solo work, and presents listeners with an experimental yet accessible style of electronic music that is euphoric and exhilarating to experience.
While we wait for some more new music from this gifted producer, be sure to check out his 2021 ‘But It Wasn’t a Dream. It Was Real.’ EP, which can be heard here.
Songwriter and producer Lili Aslo is a Finnish musical icon who has been performing under different names since 2013.
Her latest project, Knife Girl, has already taken the tastemaker world by storm. Following the release of critically acclaimed debut album ‘Uniform’ last year (listen here), Aslo is back with a deliciously bouncy pop number called ‘Eat You Alive’.
“It’s about wanting to forget about how love has hurt you for a second and giving into your dumb lust. I wouldn’t say I’m super knowledgeable about Ska but people tell me this song sounds like Ska. I think it sounds like sex. This is the last single before I begin releasing music off of my second full length album.”
Over the past year alone, Aslo’s Knife Girl project received a nomination for ‘Newcomer of the Year’ at her country’s Indie Awards, and was also awarded ‘Breakthrough Artist’ on YLEX radio.
Aslo has also been praised by outlets as noted as The Line of Best Fit, Wonderland, Earmilk, BBC Radio 1 and Finnish music magazine Soundi.
We’re going to be completely honest and tell you that we have no idea who is behind Norwegian-Swedish duo Carl :Cries, but once you play their debut single, ‘On My Mind’, you’ll know exactly why we are so excited with this outfit.
Lifted from the band’s forthcoming ‘Stranger In My Bed’ EP (out 28th April, pre-save here), the song serves as a masterclass in Swedish indie-pop.
Inspired by the the traumas from a previous relationship, the track’s dark, melancholic and emotive production is nothing short of sonic perfection.
“The feeling to distract yourself and keep your eyes open, then when you close them she’s on your mind.”
We are quite certain that MAIH will become one of Norway’s next big pop talents, and the release of her new single only further affirms our opinion.
‘The Movie of Us’ presents listeners with a punchy sound that seamlessly fuses an uptempo electro-pop production with a pensive vocal delivery.
“‘The Movie of Us’ is a song about a love that’s nothing like the movies, but that still feels like a movie. It’s hard and frustrating, but still very real. It’s definitely a song you can both cry and dance to!”
With more than 78k streams from the release of just three singles to date, MAIH is one Nordic artist on the rise!
Alternative singer and songwriter Varas has become a regular fixture on our pages. Over the past year, we’ve seen this emerging artist release a series of singles that have not only been sonically diverse in style, but also refreshingly future-forward.
Lifted from his freshly-released ‘There You Go!’ EP (out now), ‘Careful What You Wish For’ is somewhat of an understated anthem, and treats listeners to an indie-pop sound that feels both raw and finessed in equal measures. If you grew up with the sounds of bands as iconic as The Strokes, then chances are high that you’ll love this track.
“I’ve always drawn inspiration from different styles of music. I believe I’ve always been more intrigued by other artists musical personalities, rather than their genre. I don’t believe genreless music is something I’m aiming for but if my music is difficult to define, I guess I won’t oppose that perception. The thing I do aim for is to let my personality come through, and I’d be surprised if anyone’s personality is one-sided. I contradict myself all the time, why wouldn’t my music do as well?”
Acclaimed Danish indie-pop outfit Linebug return today with an interesting new collaboration featuring the Deutsche Filmorchester Babelsberg, entitled ‘Sideways’.
Written in the small German town of Zeitz, the song looks the complexities that we face in today’s world, and how easy it is for us to drift with no clear direction.
““Sideways” is a song about drifting without any steady direction – searching for identity in a world that is getting increasingly complex.”
‘Sideways’ marks an interesting point in this duo’s creative journey. Relocating from Copenhagen to the East German provinces in 2021, the musical collective of Line Bøgh and Christian Gundtoft have since then gone on to work on a new album, called ‘Fast Changing Landscapes’, which will be released on the 21st April.
Elaborating on the music video for ‘Sideways’, Bøgh explains:
“To visualise this story, Christian kind of re-animated the past of Zeitz! For this, he went treasure-hunting in the so-called ‘lost places’ in town and started sculpturing and animating all kinds of found objects. We did some experiments filming Line with stop-motion-technique, and in the end we had a strange but mesmerising portrait of a town – and a woman – drifting, hoping not to be forgotten.”
AUTORHYTHM is a very special project that was created by artist, musician and punk bassist Joakim Forsgren.
After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, Forsgren began work on a collection of sonic pieces under the moniker of AUTORHYTHM, called ‘Songs for the Nervous System’ (of which ‘Intercellular Communication’ is a part of).
“Autorhythmic cells function autonomously, without the need of instructions from the brain.”
The songs feature minor use of modern technology – with Forsgren opting to use audio equipment and synthesisers that are roughy aligned with his age. The resulting sound is one that is thoughtfully constructed, intelligent, and intriguing to experience.
Forsgren’s work is currently featured at Bozar in Brussels, as part of an exhibition calledSwedish Ecstasy, which runs until the 21st May 2023.
Swedish newcomer HENRIKES (aka Josefin Henrique) is a vocalist and songwriter who has recently appeared on our radars.
Inspired by old-school icons like Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk, as well as modern-day names like Lykke Li, Anna of the North and Susanne Sundfør, HENRIKES aims to create cinematic pieces of pop that are both nostalgic and current at the same time.
Melodic new single ‘Out Of The Blue’ seamlessly fuses power-pop with electronica and synth. The result is a sound that is punchy, bold and confident in character. Elaborating on the inspiration behind the song, Josefin explains:
“‘Out Of The Blue’ is an expression of that turning point when you least expect it and light reappears out of the blue. It touches on the energetic feeling of attraction when it strikes without warning.”
Swedish pop trailblazer Loreen is not only a household name all across the Nordic region, but she’s also been revered by Eurovisionfans globally following her iconic win at the contest in 2012 with ‘Euphoria’.
Loreen is back again to represent Sweden this year with a new song and performance that is nothing short of spectacular. So much so, that she’s already been tipped for a landslide win by the prediction polls. Written by the same people behind ‘Euphoria’, new song ‘Tattoo’ is exactly as you’d expect from this visionary artist.
This is a sound that is intense, dark and atmospheric, but also maintains a strong pop sensibility. Alongside the music is the performance, which as you can see from the video above, is flawlessly presented.
So whether you love Eurovision or not – be sure to tune in on the 9th May when Loreen competes in the first semi final.
Acclaimed Swedish artist Fricky unveils a beautifully atmospheric new single today, entitled ‘Nattbuss‘.
While sung entirely in his native language, the song’s dreamy and hypnotic style of alt-pop is sure to captivate any listener from any part of the world. Elaborating on the track’s production and concept, Fricky says:
“The feeling I had in my body married perfectly with [producer]Joel Kiviaho’s hypnotising production. I wrote the lyrics in 30 minutes on my way home from the studio, on the night bus. I have a hard time describing what it’s about, but it’s a song that has given me light when the night has been cold and dark. In a way, the song means more to me outside the context of the content itself. It has led the way to a lot of life and joy and, not least, more songs.“
“‘Nattbuss’ becomes, in a way, a final farewell to Fricky as you know me before I fly off on a new adventure. It functions as a farewell to a past that I needed to let go of in order to move on to a freer form of expression.”
Fricky is the musical project of artist, producer and designer Erik Friman. A staple within Sweden’s underground music scene since the 2010’s, Fricky’s work grew in popularity and prominence over the years, and in 2019 he was named ‘Artist of the Year’ at the iconic P3-Guld Gala.
Danish-Japanese artist Mina Okabe has well and truly become one of Scandinavia’s newest global stars.
While still only 22-years old, Okabe has already amassed almost 50 million catalogue streams while also commanding more than 700k monthly Spotify listeners.
Mina unveils her brand new EP today, entitled ‘Spinning Around’ (out now). Inspired by the ups and downs of life, the collection of songs serves as soundtrack to Mina’s personal journey over the last twelve months.
“The past year has gone by really fast – like a whirlwind of inspiration and creation in the best possible way. I feel that the many new and exciting experiences I have had can be heard in the songs I’ve written, expressing very different energies and emotions, from where I’m most vulnerable to a lighter feel of self-irony. And so, I thought ‘Spinning Around’ was a suiting title for this collection of songs.”
Lifted from the EP is Mina’s new single, ‘Talk to Me’. Interestingly, the song applies bossa nova notes onto a lo-fi indie production, which results in a sound that beautifully juxtaposes the dramatic intensity of Latin music with the controlled emotion of Nordic pop.
“‘Talk to Me’ is about the frustrating feeling that comes when someone you’re interested in is not opening up and is hard to read. I like how it stands out among my other songs – both lyrically and with the playful production – but most of all, because it gives me a feeling of confidence.”
It’s an exciting day for Nordic singer and songwriter Daniella Binyamin, who has just released her debut EP and its lead single, ‘Abba’, today.
A masterclass in Swedish pop, the song applies feelings of intense melancholy over an energising yet haunting indie production. Sonically reminiscent of Lykke Li’s early work, the track’s cinematic sound is nothing short of epic.
“‘Abba’ is an energetic yet sad track, a crying-on-the-dancefloor anthem to listen to when you need to get all those hard feelings out of your system. It’s a jumble of hope, devastation, freedom and a touch of madness and set the tone for the feelings I had when writing both the song and the EP.”
Elaborating further on the creation of the EP itself, Binyamin explains that it came to fruition back in 2020, as a way to process all the pain that had built up following a break up.
“When I wrote ‘Abba’ it was only my voice and a piano. I was angry and sad, and felt left behind by people I loved. When we later started to arrange and produce the songs, I realised how much I needed to write it, in order to move on. For every tangle that was straightened out, I became more and more fearless and convinced I was doing what was right for me.”
Daniella performs at Stockholm’s Musikaliska kvarteret (Blinda Tigern) on the 31st March – more details can be found here.
Hotly-tipped Helsinki duo Pearly Drops unveil another stellar new release today, entitled ‘Feed The Fire’.
As far as pop music goes, this track is refreshingly unpredictable and intriguing. Through its intelligent style of production, the song contrasts feelings of joy and euphoria, with melancholy and woe.
“This song can’t decide if it’s outgoing or shy, sad or upbeat, it’s like when you say someone is a ‘lost cause’ – not really having a proper sense of self or lacking a protecting barrier between yourself and the rest of the world.”
Pearly Drops (aka Sandra Tervonen and Juuso Malin) have grown to become one of Finland’s most hyped musical acts in recent years, and currently command more than 590k monthly Spotify listeners.
It wouldn’t be a normal Friday on Alfitude without sharing some premium Scandinavian pop, and this week it’s the turn of Swedish starlet hanna ögonsten.
An artist already on the rise, ögonsten’s style of sound is inspired by genres as diverse as alt-pop, indie, punk and hyperpop, while lyrically she focuses on issues that affect young people in their 20’s who are trying to navigate the world in this day and age.
New single ‘Big Teeth’ looks at our struggles with self-criticism, and is taken from ögonsten’s upcoming “have you seen my mind cause’ I’ve lost it” record (out 28th April). Speaking on the creation of her EP, hanna explains:
“I write a diary on my cell phone. Or at least I write lots of notes. They’re about a little bit of everything, mostly my feelings. I’ve been doing this since I was a young teenager, but this autumn I realised that the tone in my notes had changed. They weren’t happy and I almost sounded bitter. I was surprised, it didn’t really feel like me. But thinking about it, I realised it’s not that unexpected. Being a young woman in the music industry means to constantly be reminded that you are – a female producer – and that you therefore should be questioned. It’s exhausting. I realised that it was time to get this out of my mind and the result became this EP. Every song is written and produced together with Carl Goldkuhl (among others) and I’m so proud of how it turned out.”
ögonsten’s music has so far received support from the likes of Vogue Paris, Triple J, Pop Passion and Scandipop.
Not many Norwegian alt-pop artists have made as much impact globally as Hanne Mjøen has over these last few years.
Today marks her return with a powerful new single that features the talents of Ryland James, entitled ‘Hard To Love’.
Beautifully melancholic and refreshingly honest in tone, the song looks at the emotional vulnerabilities that start to appear when we find ourselves connecting with someone special.
”’Hard To Love’ tells the tale of being a complex person. Everyone has bad sides and struggles and through the lyrics I wanted to put mine on the table, letting the one you love know that if you want a love of eternal sunshine, I’ll give you the opposite. I’ll make it hard for you to love me cause unfortunately I’m not a perfect person either.”
Mjøen has received recognition from international outlets and tastemaker publications as prominent as Fader, NRK P3, Line Of Best Fit and many more. Meanwhile, rising artist Ryland James already commands more than 250k monthly Spotify listeners.
