Introducing new music round up. A monthly series where we showcase the best music from the past month. A quick write-up of each – it might be in Swedish or it might be in English – it’s entirely up to the person writing it. Primarily new music from around the sound and Sweden, but who knows?
Bloss – “10:an”
ffo: Descendents, Trubbel, Cloud Nothings
Bloss tar en med storm med dessa fräscha, unga och hårda två minuter. Något svårdefinierat, det låter kanske mer som hård indierock än det gör renodlad punk. Låten går hårt i svängarna. Ett distat skrik och de fartfyllda instrumenten ger låten sin sjuka energi. Men, där “10:an” kanske är som bäst är när den dyker ner i de något lugnare verserna. Här visar Bloss en imponerande förmåga att skapa medryck även i det lugna. Här finner man en mycket rolig och framförallt svängig sångmelodi som bygger ett imponerande avstamp till de förödande refrängerna. Helt enkelt en riktigt bra låt! Det ska bli spännande att se hur det unga Malmöbandet bygger på detta.
Boy With Apple – “GBG Hills”
ffo: Alvvays, Mazzy Star, Radio Dept.
This Gothenburg crew has crafted another dimension in sonic-form. The mix of synths, reverb:ed rhythm guitar, and flush production build this feeling of staring out the bus window at the city center at night. Astigmatism as music. Dreamy indiepop that can stand on its own next to contemporaries. The verse floats by with its lurking melancholy and the chorus seals the deal with its memorable melody. The song really hits its stride in its final chorus and the following vibe-sesh, where it increases the focus on its qualities while still remaining aptly constrained in its well-crafted state.
Emmer – Small Decisions
ffo: Death Cab for Cutie, Shout Out Louds, Radio Dept.
New EP from Malmö-based indierockers Emmer. These five tracks seem to exist in a state of mellowness and life-affirmation. Intricate guitars and soft vocals contribute to an overwhelming sense of pleasantness and life. It feels like taking a stroll through the central graveyards here in Malmö – although beaming with beauty there is something darker lurking just beneath the surface. Highlight on the EP, “Remember Me”, finds them letting go of the quiet and showcases their ability to rock. Emmer understands the appeal of constraint. Live they seem to not just emulate the feeling of Small Decisions, but they also manage to elevate it into shiver-inducing feats. Some of the best indie that Sweden has to offer. Don’t miss out.
Golvad Grävling – “Dogge är sjuk i huvudet”
ffo: Doktor Kosmos, KSMB, Selånger kommun
“Dogge är sjuk i huvudet” är sjuk. Fräsch svensk punk?!? I Ulf Kristerssons Sverige?!? Golvad hinner med mer soniska idéer på 02:38 än de flesta punkband hinner med på ett helt album. Svårt att vara sur under denna dunder trudelutt. Verser som ooze:ar charm och en refräng som kommer röja sönder varenda scen Golvad framöver intar. För att inte tala om de välskrivna bryggorna som tar låten till oväntade men välförtjänta höjder. En, minst sagt, väldigt sympatiskt utveckling av deras ljud. Påminner på något sätt om introlåtar till tv-serier på kanalen Disney XD cirka 2012 (positivt!). Nytt album den 23:e. Releasespelning på PLAN B samma dag.
MAMI UMAMI – Söndagsångest
FFO: Snövit, Daniel Boyacioglu, Greymane
Avantgarde men ändå groovy nyårssläpp från Malmö.
Plattans höjdpunkt: ’BAG ME THAT’.
Kommande gig: Stockholm, Malmö, etc.
Om du som går och bevittnar vansinnet har tur så släpar Miss Mami med en slägga upp på scen och massakrerar golvet som när jag såg gänget i somras; du får den sällsynta äran att bli knockad av en fullständigt gränslös attityd som du inte trodde kunde komma från ett gäng folkhögskolestudenter. Om du har otur blir det ändå årets gig änsålänge, med eller utan några tunga byggnadsverktyg och/eller potentiella mordvapen.
Guest writer
Quiet Commotion – Red Grasshoppers
ffo: The Microphones, Elliot Smith, Belle and Sebastian
In January, Quiet Commotion released their latest album Red Grasshoppers – a huge leap forward in both songwriting and recording. It contains singles that by themselves stand out as the best things QC has released, this body of work expands on those qualities and themes we highlighted in our 2023: write-up of “Paint Cracks”. It’s emotional lofi that is fully aware of itself and knows exactly where to go in order to pack a punch. The longer tunes such as “Ghostly Wind”, “Hollow Moon, Strange Fires” and “Sickle Strength” display this patience and awareness to extremes, it hits you like a ton of bricks when it gets to where it’s going – and the road there is just as much of a ride as the end goal. The single “Staying In” might be the best example of them doing this on a level far beyond any contemporaries – in a shorter form, albeit still enough to fuck you up. Despite this, Quiet Commotion is at their very best when they go pop. “Moss I Trampled” is straight up their best song, nearing levels of pleasant-but-still-sick-as-fuck only Stuart Murdoch could induce. For most people this would be someone’s career highlight – for Quiet Commotion this is just the beginning.
INTERNATIONAL SECTION?!?
I don’t really know what to write here – or if we really need this space. This might just be a little short footnote to sum up my thoughts regarding indie music at large.
The main motivation for this kind of bit is mostly due to publications focusing their attention on larger indie acts – if they even mention independent music at all. Might be interesting to shed some light on the little guys ya know?
In the states’ indie sphere the hottest thing right now seems to be glass beach, their new album sounds a lot like radiohead – if you’re into that kind of music. Wacky, but incredibly impressive stuff. A huge sonic evolution. Personally I prefer when they were a bit more on the rockier side of things, but they’re doing some revolutionary stuff within fifth-wave emo right now. I’ve listened a lot to the new Bug Bath EP, a Weezer-core band from Nevada. True rockers who’ve put out 5 straight-up rippers.
Closer to home, Norwegians Flight Mode have released the singles to their new EP/album. Their music is as good as emo music currently gets, they evoke nostalgia incredibly vividly and produce bangers like there’s no tomorrow. More on that in the next issue maybe? We’re still figuring this out… Norwegian hardcore group Hammok (who play PLAN B in March!!!), have also released bangers leading up to their next album out on the 1st of March. If you like stuff that gets your blood pumping these guys are the embodiment of adrenaline. AND – they’re really goddamn good.
On another note: the grammys are incredibly boring and none of their picks are even remotely interesting or representative of good contemporary music – mainly in the US but I guess it applies to the Swedish programme as well. Awards are kind of dumb – especially when they give it to the same people year after year. Boygenius getting attention is kinda cool though! Might be indicative of some sort of change – or not.
Uh so yeah thanks for engaging, the other write-ups are better than this last one. Oh, and thanks D for the guest write-up on Mami! See ya!
Check out our playlist for new local music we discover throughout 2024:
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