A quick return for Augustine, the falsetto-voiced Swedish ‘indie-wonder’. Songs are being recorded right now with summer in mind and this one is no different. Neither is his desire to “understand himself”, which half the male solo artists I’ve reviewed this year seem to be struggling to do.
What’s interesting about this one – and I’ll let the PR speak here because I couldn’t put it better – is “the retro 1970s touch in the production with echoes of bands like Fleetwood Mac, and the classic disco 120-bpm tempo and pulsating bass riff that drive through the track.” That bass line in particular is well out of another era.
Augustine debuted with the single ‘Luzon’ in February 2019 and has recently featured in NMR (31st March) with ‘Picking up speed’. His debut EP ‘Wishful Thinking’ saw him crowned Pop Artist of the Year at the 2020 Swedish Independent Music Awards.
He’s a reserved character but his songs, usually fragile love stories, verge on the bombastic at times. I’m not sure sometimes about the falsetto, that sort of thing can irritate a percentage of listeners, even though singers like Jeff Buckley and Brian Wilson were. I also have some difficulty at times understanding the lyrics.
He explains, “‘Coast” is a song about loneliness, and a longing to understand this world a little better. I was confused and jealous of everything I laid my eyes on when I wrote it. And I often get struck by this feeling about wanting to escape from myself and from my body when I’m feeling down. I guess it comes down to the desire to have someone by your side who understands you and all your weird thoughts.”
Augustine is, though, building his own unique sound which each successive track and he needs no-one by his side to do that. It’s smooth, lush and professional and there’s almost certainly a niche for him in the UK if his promoters can locate it.
'Coast - Spotify Studios Recording' is released exclusively on Spotify as part of Spotify’s Studio Oyster programme - a concept where Nordic artists are invited to record and release music that “reflects themselves” - today.