We'll start the week with a new artist introduction, and it's back to Sweden for a duo that might fail our 'googlability' test for new artists (which involves unique and simple to search for band names), but make up for it with powerful and really engaging folk driven music. 'Land & Ocean' are from the beautiful looking little town of 'Tidaholm'. Behind the name are the married duo Sandra and Martin Holst, who've been writing music together for a few years, and back in 2014 released an album entitled 'You Never Walk Alone', which is available to listen to on streaming services - and I'd recommend you give it a try, especially for those quiet reflective moments you want to switch off from reading about Donald Trump and Brexit madness on Social Media, which I find unhealthily addictive.
Their new single is entitled 'At The End of Your Rope' and it's a track about desperation, about the feeling when almost all hope is lost, but that you're clinging on to something. The rhythmic drumming at the start sets the tone, a dark undercurrent of fear, but the highlight for me is the instrumentation being stripped back to focus simply on the power of the vocals and lyrics. The harmonies from the duo work well, and when the whole song comes together with drumming, vocals and guitar, then there's a real intensity too. This is a brave and clever song, which is melancholy whilst having an ultimately uplifting quality to it too.
Take listen to 'At The End of Your Rope' here:
Anyway we're delighted to introduce you to 'Land & Ocean', and we'll try to bring you future releases if we have the space. And if you're looking for one song from that first album I mentioned (to add to a playlist or something), can I recommend the beautifully written 'Lina's Lovesong', I just love the instrumentation on the song.