I’ll still continue to delve into some of the Albums missed last year but the 1st more ‘substantial’ Nordic release came out last Friday and it’s an EP courtesy of Norwegian artist Yndling. I say substantial because it consists of 7 tracks (albeit one a remix), which granted isn’t quite an album, but at 30 mins is almost as lengthy as some long play releases I’ve been sent.
Behind Yndling is the musician Silje Espevik and she’s had an impressive 2021, given that her debut single only came out in February last year. She’s had coverage in a fair few music publications, and the momentum seems to have grown with each of the 3 singles released.
I’ll suggest a few highlights of the EP, and opener ‘Like Love is Real’ is definitely one of them, as immediately I’m swept gorgeously back to my teenage years, where my musical diet consisted broadly of bands such as Cocteaus, and the track doesn’t seem out of place with them or yet make me feel I’ve been dragged into a time warp either - she clearly draws her influences from a wider range of artists. ‘Cotton Candy Skies’ even sounds like a dream pop song, synths providing the backdrop, but never swamping the track, allowing vocals to add a gentle glaze with a chorus that elevates the song further, whilst ‘Out of my Way’ is almost a little playful, with a weaving bass line and Espevik‘s vocals particularly appealing. ‘Anything / Everything’ meanwhile is stripped back in the opening, before a wall of sound carries her through the chorus and builds expansively to almost overwhelm the song.
Half of the songs have been released as singles previously, but as a coherent body of songs I think this works well. Yndling creates an absorbing musical atmosphere that will draw you in, shifting naturally between a shoegaze style sound and another that feels more intimate, almost minimalist in its delivery. I’d imagine the live atmosphere she creates could be pretty intense, and she has such a clear view of the musical world she wants to create.
I guess my only concern is that whilst I really like the sound, I haven’t quite emotionally connected to all the songs, maybe because this style of music sometimes can drown out the lyrics, or maybe simply because I connect less to the more synth based tracks. But I’ve really enjoyed this, Yndling has well written songs with an immersive sound that I promise you will really shut the world out. Definitely look forward to future releases.