Browsing Tag

Swedish Pop

How Laptop Singers Wired the Melancholy and Magic of Modern Friendship into Music – An Interview

Between confessions curled in neon nostalgia and mischief masked as melody, the Swedish sibling duo Laptop Singers return with Still Friends — an album carved from collaboration, emotional clarity, and the quiet anarchy of pop experimentation. In this interview, they crack open the creative process behind their new LP, reflect on songwriting as a means of immortalising regret, and share how they balance acoustic honesty with digital sharpness. From Gothenburg’s bleak winters to the warmer tones of Nashville and Paris, their reflections stretch across climates and continents, all while keeping the emotional temperature rooted in human connection. Whether they’re talking about the stoic charm of French pop or the thrill of letting go of perfection, Laptop Singers prove that sometimes the truest art comes from embracing contradiction.

Welcome to A&R Factory, Laptop Singers — it’s a pleasure to have you back with us. Let’s dig into the music, the mischief, and the talent behind your new LP, Still Friends. The single, That’s the stupid things I do when I’m drunk, is a phenomenal exhibition of your ability to meld confession with celebration. How much of your songwriting is drawn from real events, and how do you decide which memories are worth immortalising in a track?

 — Thank you very much, A&R Factory! This first single from our new album “Still Friends” tells a classical story about ”walking alone in the dark” while regretting your old mistakes, which always works in pop songs! We do believe that the best songs are the ones which are inspired from one’s own experiences, but maybe not in an entirely literally way. So in short: we pick up feelings and emotions from real life and turn them into fine art — just like Shakespeare (ha ha)! 

The new album pulls collaborators from all corners — from the Swedish west coast to Nashville and Real World Studios — how did working with such a wide range of musicians shape the emotional or sonic terrain of Still Friends?

 — Our base is in Gothenburg in Sweden, and while the core of the band is us two brothers, we have an urge to stretch out to look for other talented people to help out with both vocal and musical contributions. We love to collaborate with other musicians, especially with great vocalists. Whenever we come across a great singer, we really like to let him or her interpret our songs and make their mark on the material. Together with our friends we built the temple that now is ”Still friends”!

You’ve said you love combining classic songwriting with modern tech — how do you make sure the heart of the song isn’t lost in the perfectionism of production?

— We never strive for perfection in our art. We strive for emotions and feelings, whatever instruments and which technique we use. The lyrics and the vocals should always work together with the music. Therefore, we always try to maintain elements which are ”human” in our productions and mixes, for example acoustic guitars, live drums and so on, since this often creates a nice counterbalance to the precise and clean operation of the computers. So we rely on a mix between real instruments and modern computer technology. 

There’s a thread of contradiction running through your work — you’re reflective and playful, digital and nostalgic, political and romantic. Is this duality something you aim to expose deliberately, or is it just how you process the world?

— As older you get, you come to realize that everything has two (or three) sides. You also realize that when you create music, you should never be too ”clever” or set up any rules or restrictions. You should simply just let the creative process have its way and see how it manifests itself through the music. And if the music is contradictory, it’s because that’s how we see the world.

You recorded in the rain-soaked autumns and snowy winters of Gothenburg, and also worked with artists from sun-drenched scenes like Nashville and Paris — do the environments where you write and record influence your creativity?

 — We’re used to the changes of the seasons here in Gothenburg, that’s for sure! Still, we are probably not that inspired by nature anyway… If we lived in for example the West Indies, we would problably not be that inspired by things like beaches or the sun. We are inspired by music, movies, books and art — not the nature or the shifting of the seasons. 

The reference to “philosophers and prophets” in your press release is something we’d love to explore— how much do your academic or personal philosophies find their way into the lyrics?

 — We are old enough to have lived through lots of changes in this world, and to see patterns and causes for changes and development — that’s a philosophy as good as any. Still, we have no strict academic attitude here — hey, this is pop music

French pop seems to have played a big role in shaping the new release — what did artists like Alice et Moi and Zélie offer as influential muses?

 — We love French music! There are so many great singers, musicians and producers in France, and there is so much interesting music coming from the French music community. French music is quite different from music from England and the US, for example — it’s often more honest and straightforward, and always strictly non-ironic. The French pop artists have a new, fresh and European way of creating art. 

The album is called Still Friends — in an era of digital detachment and superficial connections, what does friendship mean to you as artists, and how does that value manifest in the music?

— Friendship in the sense of collaboration and exchange of ideas in music is absolutely essential. The feeling you get when a musical friend and contributor makes something to your song that you could or would not manage yourself is phenomenal. That’s how real musical progress is made. And all the people who helped us to create ”Still Friends” are very dear to us — creating music together is a great way of keeping friendships alive! 
Listen to Laptop Singers on Spotify and discover more about the artist via their official website. 
Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Laptop Singers & Chris Cron Uncorked a Pop Paradox in ‘Drinking to Get Sober’

Starting with an effervescent euphonic burst of harmony, Drinking to Get Sober instantly delivers everything we’ve come to love about Laptop Singers and their affectingly accordant approach to pushing traditional songwriting chops into the modern music scene and allowing them to tear through the noise of instant gratification.

With shimmering synth lines and twilight oscillating in the panorama of a production, Drinking to Get Sober caresses you into an expansive space, nestled away from material reality, constructed by candour and compassion. The lyrics are grounded in bruised sincerity without ever crossing into melodrama—just the brutal clarity of self-awareness.

The vocals, delivered in collaboration with Chris Cron, will strike all the right chords for fans of Sam Fender as they relay how the existential ache doesn’t stop when you come of age. Every chapter has its own growing pains, which get even sharper as you make your way further through life and are confronted with how little time you’ve got left to figure it all out and reach a point of self-actualisation.

Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, Per and Lars Andersson have channelled decades of songwriting experience into Laptop Singers since 2020. With a back catalogue spanning lush ambient detours and glitter-drenched pop, their most emotive work to date is here, with one of their most emotionally lucid collaborations yet.

Drinking to Get Sober is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ghost Nation’s ‘Last Words’: A Dark Pop Mirror Reflecting the Tightrope of Truth

Ghost Nation’s latest dark pop single, Last Words, opens with disquieting, carnivalesque scintillation, quickly establishing an atmosphere thick with tension. The distorted effects enveloping the vocals mirror how fractured we can become when communication is reduced to a battle of reticence and manipulation rather than genuine connection. It’s proof of Ghost Nation’s adept grasp of lyrical themes, vividly amplifying the intense narrative beneath the track’s surface.

There’s swathes of desolation oscillating throughout the darkwave and industrial-infused pop production, emphasising the idea that no man is an island—we’re all adrift if we lose the ability to tether ourselves with truthful expression. But truth itself can cut deeply, and Last Words provides ample space to ruminate on the weight every syllable carries.

Formed by vocalist and producer Tomas Vasseur and producer Micke Berg, Ghost Nation has cultivated a globally resonant sound since 2016, accumulating over eight million streams by fusing alt electronica with cinematic arrangements. Their seasoned approach is apparent in every motif of Last Words, particularly in the dynamic interplay between innocence and strength.

By intertwining rhythmic urgency, playful experimentation, and philosophical depth, Ghost Nation reveals the fragile tightrope we all navigate with words—where one slip can irreversibly alter our connections.

Last Words is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laptop Singers captured the quintessence of Swedish Pop with ‘Scandinavian Home’

Laptop Singers synthesised the rhythmically hooked quintessence of Swedish Pop into their latest album, The Battle for the Future of Pop. If the soul-scintillating track, Scandinavian Home, is anything to go by, the battle has already been won and Laptop Singers are sitting pretty at the helm of the genre.

By fusing the perpetually stylistic sonic signature of Kraftwerk and the chilly chromatics of Covenant into a perennial dance-pop earworm with post-punk-esque guitars, a pulse-pounding beat and vocals that make you want to melt through the flawlessly pitched seraphic harmonies, Laptop Singers carved out one of the most affecting pop anthems of 2024 with Scandinavian Home.

There’s absolutely nothing guilty about this funk and groove-slicked in all the right places from the Swedish brother duo, Per and Lars Andersson; it’s edgy enough to be a hit in the indie and alt-scene while giving mainstream pop fans all the dance-worthy euphony they could possibly ask for.

Scandinavian Home is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laptop Singers extolled the virtues of perseverance with their latest track, Just Keep Walking

With a sentiment as resonant as the one that echoes through Sinatra’s You’ll Never Walk Alone, Laptop Singers extolled the virtues of perseverance and soulfully commanded resilience through the storms the soul is fated to weather in their latest single, Just Keep Walking.

As the soft vocal harmonies reach out across the retro analogue synth lines, it is almost as though Laptop Singers painted a silver lining through the centre of the instrumental progressions, which reach their luminous peak through the shimmer of the gospel-reminiscent organ tones that allow Just Keep Walking to transcend sonic mediocrity.

Time after time, the Swedish pop duo prove their capacity to craft compelling tracks, which speak to the rhythmic pulses as eloquently as they create an open dialogue with your emotions. With Just Keep Walking on your playlists, even the darkest days will present themselves as ephemeral storms you have the power to overcome.

Just Keep Walking was officially released on November 11; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Linn Willner stood at the vanguard of emotionally intelligent pop with ‘Dancing on Roses’

For her latest single, Dancing on Roses, the indie pop enchantress, Linn Willner, melodically pulled on the parallels between blossoming naturalism and the early days of relationships, where we can’t see the thorns for the petals.

The orchestral strings in the indie chamber pop score carved a cinematically immersive atmosphere that evokes notions of romanticism while spurring the listener to remove their rose-tinted glasses and view the full kaleidoscope of betrayal-laden complexity when exploring love and human connection. Life will always find a way to strip away your naivety; it is better to pull back the layers with piano pop expositions on the highs and lows of relationships, which portray vulnerability as a strength.

The 22-year-old Swedish singer-songwriter became an icon of our enlightened times with Dancing on Roses. Beyond her beguilingly evocative vocal lines and command over minor piano keys, she’s at the vanguard of emotionally intelligent pop.

Dancing on Roses will debut on the 26th of September; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Electro-chanson meets 00s Britpop in Laptop Singers’ single, Le Love featuring Judy St. Clarke

Here to perpetuate the myth that there’s something in Sweden’s waters that breeds pop legends is Gothenburg’s brother duo, Laptop Singers, with their latest single, Le Love, featuring the Nashville singer Judy St. Clarke.

Before Le Love swings you back to Paris in the 60s, it makes a brief pitstop in charted by Garbage and The Cardigans 90s Britpop territory, leaving ample room for modernity to reflect in the lyricism that makes no bones about getting to grips with the tantamount of the tribulation.

The era-mashing yet juxtaposingly timeless single comes with more than just a pinch of electro-pop panache. The endlessly inviting demure soul from Judy St. Clarke against the electrically reverberating keys, high-energy guitars, and absurdity-embracing lyrics makes the chaos of 2022 worth enduring.

Here’s what Laptop Singers had to say about their sticky-sweet escapist release:

“This song is inspired by listening to lots of French music, both old classics from the 60´s, like Francoise Hardy, and new French indie pop like Bon Entendeur and L’Impératrice. It´s an uptempo, guitar-based song about youthful energy, love, and confusion right in the middle of 2022!”

Le Love is now available to stream on Spotify.

Follow Laptop Singers on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Laptop Singers appeal to the loveless in their smooth electro-pop hit, Are You Ready for Love? Featuring Roger Arvidson

The Swedish electro-pop duo, Laptop Singers, got even more lavish with the soul in their latest single, Are You Ready for Love?, Featuring Roger Arvidson.

It easily parallels Elton John’s song with the same title for the soul it spills, but it is so much more than your average “everyone be happy summer single”. The gentle protest against cheap thrills shows compassion for the endemic of the defiantly loveless.

The sultry, smoothed electro-pop ballad taps into the modern issue of rejecting lasting affection for meaningless gratification with a classic touch while the self-produced single indoctrinates the lush electronic textures brought about by this era.

The brother duo, consisting of Lars and Per Andersson, have had 30 years of Swedish pop practice. By the time they got round to penning Are You Ready for Love and bringing it to life as a courtesy of Roger Arvidson’s timelessly soulful pop vocals, they knew exactly how to hit the ground swooning.

Are You Ready for Love? is now available to stream on Spotify.

Check out Laptop Singers via their official website, Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Noah and the Sound embodies the epitome of inertia in his indie-pop electro hit, Stuck

Swedish singer-songwriter Noah and the Sound has released his post-punk-tinged indie-pop earworm, Stuck. In a time when momentum is hard to find but not as hard as the grip of inertia, it has all the makings of an electro-indie pop playlist staple.

With an arty approach to cinematic production, Stuck finds the perfect balance between intimacy and intensity. Especially with the contrast between the vulnerability in the hushed and honeyed indie dream-pop vocals and the deep percussive throbs that ensure the momentum ironically remains perpetual. There’s also no aurally evading the sense of romanticism that resounds around the bitter-sweet candour.

Stuck is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The British-Swedish pop duo Small Changes illuminated the airwaves with their latest single, The Sun

Few female pop duos can rival the soulfully powerful British-Swedish duo, Small Changes, especially on the basis of their latest single, The Sun, which creates parables between the warmth of the spiciest planet in our solar system and the cosy affection in human connection.

Their life-affirming and perception brightening single was a charity release to raise money for MIND. Yet, it is safe to say that Lina Nilsson and Elisabeth O’Connor did their part for the advocacy of mental health through writing the single alone. Notably, with their meaningful lyricism, immense vocal talent and spiritually awakening instrumentals, they are one to watch. They’re already receiving plaudits from up high from BBC Introducing and gracing notable venues, such as The O2 Academy Islington, Notting Hill Arts Club and Under the Bridge.

You can check out The Sun for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast