Orange Red is the solo project of the musician Jonas Love Williamsson, hailing from Göteborg. In October he released his debut EP “Ocean” through the French label Scandinavian Crush. Inspired by shoegaze from the 90’s and ambient music from the likes of Brian Eno and Angelo Badalamenti he has created beautiful soundscapes with songs that walk the line between melodic synthpop and moodsetting musical landscapes. Clean guitar figures and dreamy, distanced vocals are embedded in glittering, sweet and retro-sounding layers of synths accompanied by electronic beats. It’s quite a varied album, though, and there are plenty of diversions from this theme. Here are a couple of songs from the EP.

Orange Red on Spotify – on Apple Music

The Norwegian musician Bror Forsgren is most known for his engagement in bands like Jagga Jazzist, Lionheart Brothers and Silence the Foe. This Autumn he released his first album as a solo artist: “Narcissus”. Inspired by Scott Walker’s experimental compositions he has created his own melting pot of pop and symphonic music. I hear traces of pop from the 60’s and the 70’s, from sunny Beach Boys-vibes to playful turns á la 10cc, all dressed in orchestral arrangements, often grand-sounding, sometimes complex and with his own twist to the songwriting. Here’s a taste in the shape of the single “In a Time When God Was One”:

Bror Forsgren’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

Elias had a breakthrough in the beginning of this year when he impressed us with his soul voice in the powerful song “Revolution“. Now he’s released his debut EP “Warcry”, an EP which most likely will earn him even more admirers. Here is the new single “Green Eyes” taken from the EP.

Elias on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

I wrote about Zebastian Swartz last year when he released his fine debut single “Me and My Brother”. He has taken his time with the follow-up, but yesterday he released the new single “A Storm”, taken from an upcoming EP he has written together with Per Eklund. And what a marvellous follow-up it is, an energetic, uplifting pop track with country vibes and a lot of colours from the 70’s. Listen for yourself here:

Zebastian Swartz on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

Today Duvchi is releasing his awaited debut album “With the World”. And it was really worth waiting for. Just as much as it is a record with a number of obvious pop hits with sweet melodies, it’s an ambient creation, beautifully framed by some instrumental tracks. Carefully he paints a special, pleasantly melancholic atmostphere, creating his own soundscape of longing, dreams and warm humility. His unique, bright voice is of course something extra and the way he uses it in the production is interesting as well. The vocals can appear close, distanced, dubbed, autotuned, in different registers, every time in a way that fits the song, and still the pieces fit together into a beautiful album image. Here below is a wonderful taste in the shape of the song “Sleep”.

Duvchi on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music