Filip Groundstroem is a young Swede, in his early 20s by the look of it, who is under the radar here and “on the verge of a breakthrough.” Unfortunately he’ll probably stay under that radar until the ‘About’ section on his Facebook page contains more information on him. Other social media outlets are available of course but Facebook is still the go-to.
The subject matter of ‘Ain’t got a prayer’ is a candid assessment of the evolving feelings he has towards his belle (or beau of course, I don’t know) or rather the way they are diminishing in a manner that suggests there is no hope of returning to what they once were. A familiar theme, but there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
The song starts off rather unusually in that his voice is a little nasal, like he’s caught a cold, but overall his vocal range is broad and his fills in the upper reaches are very pleasant.
Musically, the guitar backing is just right but I can’t say the same about the percussion, which is formed out of hi-hat and snare drum in simple common time and which is perhaps too strident. It could be he’s hinting at how time is counting down towards the end of the relationship but while that sort of beat works with, say, Cindy Lauper’s ‘Time after Time’ it sounds strangely out of sorts here if only because it drowns out everything else.
I checked out one of his earlier singles and it was considerably more r&b than this one, which has more of standard pop structure. It will be interesting to see which direction he takes.
With a song called ‘Ain’t got a prayer’ about his failing relationship his female followers would doubtless prefer something a little more positive if they are hopeful of their standing with this fresh faced young lad. But overall, it’s a listenable song which hints at good stuff to come in the future.
‘Ain’t Got a Prayer’ is out today 4th September via Sailor Music / The Orchard.
Find him on Facebook.