I always love discovering good pop music and Sweden seems to continually be a hot bed for it.
It’s given us amazing artists like ABBA and Robyn (among a host of others).
Today, however, I’m looking at the debut album from Felix Sandman titled ‘Emotions’.
I first discovered Felix with his amazing single ‘Imprint’. It’s a quintessential modern Scandi-pop tune. Featuring sparse production, a hook too good to ignore and a really great set of lyrics, it’s been stuck in my head since it was released earlier this year and is a great tune. Definitely a highlight here.
The rest of the album follows suit. Taking a more melancholic tone with a hint of R&B and rock, it reminds me a lot of Erik Hassle (which is a compliment in my opinion). With an effortlessly cool feel, songs like ‘Trouble’ or ‘0 Emotions’ are great to listen to in isolation, as part of the album or added to a playlist.
Then there are more heartfelt moments like his Melodifestivalen entry from this year ‘Every Single Day’ or ‘Lovisa’.
‘Lovisa’ in particular was one that I connected to easily. It’s obvious a relationship breakdown was inspiration for a lot of this album but on this song, it’s laid out plainly for everyone to hear. It’s that rawness that makes the whole album a good listen.
It’s not often a former boy band member (FO&O) strikes gold on their solo release, but for me this is a very strong debut.
I’ve enjoyed the album since its release multiple times and it’s right up there for one of the better collections of 2018.
If you’re a fan of pop or want an honest listen, check out this debut from Felix Sandman.
VERDICT : 4/5.
MUST LISTEN : Imprint, Lovisa, Trouble.
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