Swedish producer Johan Kull has dreamt about being able to release his own music for the last 15 years. He’s worked with many other musicians previously, but his debut single, appropriately entitled ‘Dreams’, has been a real long term personal project, especially with him being both songwriter and producer on the newly released track.
But it’s certainly been well worth all those years of effort and ambition, as it’s resulted in a mellow, atmospheric track which appears to mix both neo classical and pop influences.
The song deals with ‘’the false reality that dreams can create”, which is really interesting given I sometimes feel during lockdown that I’ve imagined a perfect post Covid existence that can never quite be achieved – travelling the world, attending gigs, festivals and events without quite having a grip on the reality of what I’ll be able to achieve, or previous missed opportunities. As Johan Kull explains: “When you build this utopian world in your head, how perfect that can be, and how equally horrifying it can be having that taken away when you wake up. But it’s also about the disappointment of expectations being squandered, when reality isn’t up to par with your dreams”.
Certainly ‘Dreams’ isn’t a squandered opportunity, and I think it’s the musical arrangements that appeal to me more than anything. The vocals are unassuming and understated and whilst I certainly don’t dislike them, I could imagine Johan Kull being able to construct some quite beautiful instrumental soundtracks in particular.. It’s melancholy for sure, but reflective rather than just plain sad.
The track was only released yesterday and you can listen to it here.
Photo by Alma Bengtsson