We have a mountain of new releases to bring you over the next few days, so we're going to try (and probably fail...) to keep each write up succinct and informative to cover as many different bands as possible. We'll start off in Denmark, and a release from later last month from young 5 piece band 'Little Winter', who've released a self titled debut EP which mixes Nordic melancholy with higher tempo tracks that aren't afraid to....
So 'Little Winter' have been around for a couple of years, and have already made a pretty big impression even before the release of the EP, with appearances at prestigious festivals such as SPOT and Roskilde, and that live reputation formed the basis of their approach for the recording of their new EP, as it was recorded in just a few days at the home studio of producer Steffen Lind Sørensen in the East Jutland countryside. As Nikolai from the band says: “We chose to record the tracks live and then do some overdubbing afterwards to bring forth this live feeling that one senses when listening.''
Anyway it's an interesting collection of tracks, which suggest a range of influences from folk, pop, jazz, rock, and there's a sophistication in the writing too, which gives it a timeless quality. 'Mt Egmont' immediately hits home lyrically - ''there's a mountain across the sea where my dad was born just beneath / and how I want to go there someday and return back to my family'' and there's a thoughtful melancholic air in the vocals, whilst 'Summer Never Ends' is a complete contrast , with a jaunty, upbeat edge. 'Moment of your time' builds in intensity as the layers of instrumentation swell in volume and density, and I really like the wall of sound as they approach 3 minutes in to the song, whilst after the warmth of 'Something Cool', they conclude with another contemplative song 'My Garden', with a melody which will gently get inside you, and lyrics which will have you listening to the end.
I can really get why 'Little Winter' are making such an impression, there's a rich quality in the songwriting and the vocals, whilst the band have the ability to ramp up the sound and pace of songs, which probably works well live too. So if you're in the Nordic regions look out for them at festivals near you, and it wouldn't surprise me if these guys made it over to the UK at some point too.
You can find them on Facebook and on Instagram.