About a year ago I presented the band The Mondanes, hailing from Göteborg, performing their song “Silver Spoon” in an acoustic session. Now they have produced some studio tracks also and present them on the new EP “Freeze Out”; five tracks with an enjoyable mix of Americana an indiepop. It all starts a bit cautiously with the song “Atlantic Sea” which never really takes off and then “Out On a Limb” which certainly picks up the pace but lacks luster and energy enough to make me get carried away. The three remaining songs, though, more than compensate for the start. Here’s life, warmth, passion and the band is glowing. “Silver Spoon”, which makes me think of the Byrds, is lifted even higher compared with the acoustic session and is full of personality, tension and sensitivity. “Jenny Say (Why Did You Move Away)” is top notch uplifting indiepop which probable will make Jenny move back home right away, and the finishing song “Violet Gun”, maybe the best song, is a tastefully dynamic indie with a sticky chorus. Here are two of the songs:

The Mondanes on Facebook – on Spotify – on Soundcloud

Gustaf Montelius, who we met earlier as The Fiery Piano, now shows up in the band Magic Potion together with Kristoffer Byström and Andreas Sandberg. The debut single “Deep Web” was recorded on a 1/4″ reel to reel tape and includes wobbly guitars and mono drums. The write that the song roughly is about internet, loneliness and pizza. Later this year they will release their debut EP.

Magic Potions site – on Facebook – on Spotify

Soul of Gaia has just released the new song “Roam”. It’s a beautiful space ballad where we are guided among the stars by Sanna’s wonderful, warm vocals, a piano and various sounds from space recorded by NASA. A build-up song that is allowed to grow slowly and which lands in a magnificent spiral galaxy rather than an exploding super nova. The recording was made together with Jon Rinneby (Låtsaspoeten, Turn Off Your Television) and the video was directed by Pablo Fernández.

Soul of Gaias site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp

Pica Pica describe themselves as an art group which manifest themselves as a pop band. The group consists of musicians, producers, songwriters, film makers, photographers, graffiti artists, designers and others. They started out in 2013 as the songwriter and artist Ida Segersten and the producer Per Alexander Esbjörnsson (a.k.a. Slateside) made a recording of Ida’s song “Isolated” whereafter  the clothing designer ClaesMikael Svensson soon joined them in the project.

Sinced then the group has grown with more and more members and has now arrived to the first official released in the shape of the EP “The Darker”, which is launched today. In May they will release the second EP “The Lighter” along with a short film, and everything will be accompanied by other expressions of art like graphic prints, new clothing designs, videos and photos.

They write that the theme of the three songs on “The Darker” is love madness, a melancholic tribute to a grand friendship, and the feeling of something beautiful that’s is torn apart. That description is well depicted in the music which feels beautifully melancholic, sometimes sad, and which they build up to grand crescendos in large rooms, sometimes reaching dramatic and bombastic heights. Here are two of the songs and the video to “Isolated”:

Pica Picas site – on Facebook – on Spotify

The duo Rainmode is back with a piece of catchy synthpop in the shape of their fourth single, the playful “Blazer”. They write that the debut album is going to be released during Spring. I also noticed that I obviously had missed their third single “7D” in the Autumn, , a song you shouldn’t miss, so I’ve added that one as well.

Rainmode on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp –on Soundcloud