Lärkträdet, a music collective from Umeå with the two songwriters Freyr Flodgren and Ludvig Söderström in the front, presented some beautiful songs in the end of last year. It feels summery, romantic and dreamy in a pleasant and warm acoustic sound.

Lärkträdet on Facebook – on Soundcloud

Behind the acronym [SEK] we find Sophia Ersson. She’s played before with artists like Säkert!, Titiyo, Marit Bergman amogn others, and also been a member of the bands Sheasheashea and Som. A couple of weeks ago she released the EP “Bergen”, the first songs she has written in Swedish according to herself.

It’s a record that at first sight feels like melancholic Swedish pop of today, but when you have entered the the well-arranged pop-living room, it’s not as tidy as you would have thought. Sophia has created her own kind of room and do whatever she likes; throws fine string pillows for us to rest in, drapes with melodies in different colours, spreads lego-beats around to trip on and tells her story with a voice that at first seems fragile, but that grows confident, like if she’s climbed her mountain and calmly views below what has been, turns her head around and considers where she’s going.

In a way the EP feels more of a taste of what’s to come, rather than a complete album, like a teaser of what she’s able to do. And we don’t have to wait long for a follow-up, as the EP?  “Fall” is scheduled for release on the first of March.

[SEK]’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp – on Bandcamp

Roth is a Stockholm duo with the two members Julia and Gustav Roth. In December they released their first single “Kings of the Wild”. They call it warm folk pop, which is easy to agree with. A summery and uplifting acoustic indie song.

Roth on Facebook – on Soundcloud

Hurrricane Love, hailing from Malmö, won the international Emergenza final last year, so there’s no doubt about their qualities as a live band. When it comes to recordings they released an EP during Autumn; four tracks of well produced melodic pop/rock with a rather big, arena-aspiring sound. “Only Human” is the song that I think really stands out of the four, not only on the EP but also in the genre. A quite sticky chorus, to say the least. They have also made some good acoustic living room-versions of a couple of the songs, where you can watch the one with “Only Human” here below.

Hurricane Love on Facebook – on Soundcloud

The artist collective Caligola, where members from Mando Diao participate, released the EP “Back to Earth: Resurrection” in December. The first single from the the EP is the anti-racist “Smash Dem Brains In”, which is a cover of Linton Kwesi Johnson’s song “Fite Dem Back”. The EP was a great listening experience and feels like a patchwork of styles from now and then, in the same spirit of exploring as the debut album “Back to Earth” from last year. I just had to add the soul-vibing “Forgive Forget” from “Back to Earth” also here below.

Caligola on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp – on Soundcloud