The band Wrstlng, hailing from Göteborg, are releasing their debut EP “Hoarse Bear” tomorrow and also invite everyone to a release gig in Malmö in the evening. You can say that record is a rehearsal before the upcoming full length album the band is planning, and it consist of songs they have recorded between 2013 and 2015. The sound varies a bit between the tracks, but here below you can hear the two latest songs. In any case their special style comes clear on the EP. You hear embedded vocals and layered guitars with vibes of shoegaze while their light melodies more remind me about classic Swedish indie pop. Well, I guess you could call it happy shoegaze. I asked the band to write a few sentences about the songs::

About “Meds”: “The beta version of ‘Meds’ is really one of the first songs we started out with when we were rehearsing as a band. After a while we tucked it away in the closet, without thinking about it and when it was time for doing some live shows we dusted it off, argued about why we ever put it away, and spiced it up. The ‘Meds’ 2.0 now recorded summarizes what we like ourselves and feels a bit like our anthem.” (translated from Swedish)

About “Avgå”: “‘Avgå’ is really a featherlight lounge tune, but when we started recording we started adding strange guitars which was fun (even if the song suffered somewhat). Then Palle moved to Ängelholm and bought a synth, which was also fun (even if the song had to suffer some more).” (translated from Swedish)

Wrstlng on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

The duo Oh Jonathan released this nice video today to put some focus on their song “Animal Song”. It’s feelgood pop in triple time with pump organ and a sunny circus atmosphere that should make the cloudiest day seem a little bit brighter. The song is taken from their new EP “Frickin’ Fairytale”, which is available now.

Oh Jonathan på Facebook – på Spotify – på Apple Music

Few artists can make the lyrics sound so engaging as Simon Norrsveden. And on his fifth and latest album”Tarquinia”, this is even more obvious when he has downscaled the arrangements to a more analogue and organic sound. Here we come much closer and his bright crystal clear vocals deliver every word like if it’s a secret just for you. We meet him in magically beautiful time-stops-for-a-moment-songs like “Tarquinia” and in strong pop tracks with choruses and phrases that stick in your mind like in “Lika Tight som Rock’n’Roll”. The analogue noise has it’s effect and makes the songs feel alive. Rough panned drums, raw, crunchy guitars and other colourful touches in the production keep you on your toes throughout the journey through the album, contrasting the sweet melodies. In the end I’m also rewarded with the final and best song on the album, “Babies”.

Simon Norrsveden on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

The Norwegian band Wild Fauna has created a sweet, messy sound on their debut single “Crooked Smile”. It’s raw, full of crunchy garage guitars and feels liberatingly simple and energic in the powerpop-vibing chorus. The 90’s seem close when I’m thinking about refererences and I’m not surprised when I see that they mention Dinosaur Jr. and The Posies among the influences. The song is the first taste of their debut album, which is due for release soon.

Wild Fauna on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

The first song I heard from Joe & the Anchor’s new album “King of Sins” was the wonderful ambient ballad “Sin Against Sins”. The song is not quite characteristic for the other songs on the record, but I can sense some spices here which runs through many of the tracks. Here’s an unpredictability in the harmonies and the song structures, big emotions and a sweet sense of melodies.

The album is quite varied, a brew with inspiration from britpop, Americana, alternative rock and other styles. They mention artists like The National, Editors and Nick Drake as influences and when I listen I feel it pours down associations from the first song to the last and I hear everything from Soundgarden to Foo Fighters and Manic Street Preachers. It’s a colourful mix with both deep dark shades as well as brighter ones. The base is a a rather powerful and spacious guitar-based sound, carefully spiced with synths and nice vocal harmonies. Joakim Rosenlund has a special tone in his voice I really appreciate and he also has both the power and the amplitude in his expression to take on these multifaceted songs. Another splash of colour is Yrsa Schau’s vocals who join Joakim on a few songs.
Here are three excellent samples from a quite delicious album, the second full length record from the band since they started in 2013.

Joe & the Anchor’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music