In times of turbulence I increasingly reach for music that reassures the mind, and after a turbulent week the discovery of a new Loyal Liar EP couldn’t have been better timed.
We first wrote about Loyal Liar when they released an Album early last year entitled ‘For the Sharks That Roam Below’, and the Swedish / Austrian duo consisting of Albin Andersson and Hanna Magdalena Gödl have returned with a 5 track EP called ‘Lost the Ghost’, again full of gentle melodic intent.
The EP opens with 'Burn', and immediately I feel becalmed with the softness of sound. Andersson’s vocals just have this almost whispered purity that just couldn’t get any more laid back, and still distinctly Sufjan Stevens flavoured too. It’s undeniably melancholy, but not in a ‘dreary’ way, just perfect for those of us who like to get lost in music.
But actually it’s tracks such as 'The Feelings' that really appeal to me, because musically it happily meanders off in a beautiful leftfield musical direction, you’ll never get the feeling that you’ve heard something similar melodically - it’s probably something in the chord progressions. And in ’The End’ the piano has a warmth to it that really does make them sound as if they’re playing in the room right next to you.
Given Loyal Liar’s music is so self produced, and categorised by themselves as lo-fi, these guys make such an incredible sound, charming but also rich in quality. And they are the one band I’d love to see do a live stream during lockdown, I just couldn’t think of a nicer way to spend a Friday night. They’ve popped back just at the right time, and I’m really very grateful.
Please help support Loyal Liar and other Nordic artists by following our brand new Nordic Indie playlist here on Spotify. It would mean a lot to us too!