Following from their 2019 sophomore album Softie, Swedish duo Wy formed of – now married couple – Ebba and Michel Gustafsson Ågren have returned with the lead single from their upcoming third record, Marriage, that you can already pre-order.

In a recent interview with Nothing But Hope And Passion, of the track they said: “It feels like a nice bridge between then and now. The lyrical theme is also a good introduction to the story we want to tell with Marriage“. Sonically, the track lifts elements from their already established repertoire. It combines the diaristic and open lyricism, that’s always been at the forefront of their music since the release of Okay in 2017, with a softened approach. What’s not lost in this shift however, is the raw power and scope that Wy cover in their music.

What’s perhaps the most marked change with this new project is the fact that every track has been made since their nuptials, including “Come Here”. It’s not exactly that married life has softened the duo, but it’s definitely made them more tender. “Come Here” feels like it’s emanating a warm, soft glow, strangely calling to mind the golden hues of a newborn child. The track seems to capture the same fragility and wonder, perhaps due to Wy’s shared vision that’s been further solidified since their union.

“I have always written the lyrics,” says Ebba. “But this time they feel like our lyrics, and not just my diary set to our music. We’ve talked a lot with each other about what we want to say. About who we are and where we can find our place in the world. The title has been in place since we started, and that was because a lot of the songs revolved around our relationship since we got married. Not so much the relationship between us, but more about the internal conflicts that appear when you’re in a long-term, safe relationship, where you’re really sure about each other, but you’re not sure about yourself”.

“Come Here” captures this odd sense of assuredness yet strange questioning of self. It feels stripped back, hinged around essentially three notes just played in varying octaves, putting the frank songwriting and emotional charge to the forefront. What they do best.

Wy‘s Ebba Gustafsson Ågren has recently launched her career in solo as Cuntrie. In a few days, the Swedish artist will release her debut EP, Scrapbooking, which she describes as “a collage of a lot of things.” About the project, she added:

[su_quote]The themes range from childhood nostalgia and nightmares to fragile masculinity and dead hamsters. It’s a very honest record, even though some of the subjects may seem small and trivial. I often use trivial references to talk about bigger subjects when writing my songs. I like the balance between being playful and silly on one hand and being very serious on another. Everything I write needs to be true because I don’t like to lie.[/su_quote]

Following up to her touching letter “The Singer” and her narrative-driven single “Spider,” she has now returned with “Oh Boy,” a DIY and minimalist new offering which deals with the concept of masculinity. Watch the accompanying visuals below.

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“Spider” begins with a long wail– a twenty-four-second wail, to be exact. In a song about sleeplessness and fear, this guttural scream perfectly encapsulates the mood of Cuntrie‘s newest single.

Cuntrie is the solo project of Ebba Gustafsson Ågren, best known for being one half of the duo Wy— a project that’s carved out a space in the Swedish indie-pop scene with its anxiety-driven and vibey tracks. While the instrumental facets of Cuntrie don’t stray far from the electronic, percussive territory that Wy frequents, Ågren‘s solo work defines itself with its incredibly detailed, story-based lyrics. Debut solo track “The Singer” exemplifies this new, narrative-driven direction, and “Spider” is a further extension of this lyrical departure.

“Spider” immediately pulls listeners into a story, with Ågren singing, “Gross spider on the ceiling / Keep a distance, wise guy / I don’t want to poke your eyes out / It feels like I’ve been here before.” As the chorus nears, she confesses, “I don’t know what all my dreams mean to me, if anything at all.” She then adds, “And I don’t know who I’m running from / There’s always someone chasing me.” The entire track feels confessional– almost therapeutic– while also perfectly encapsulating the ceiling-staring feeling of being unable to sleep.

Of the song, Cuntrie shares, “I’ve had a major fear of the dark since I was a child and I had a real problem with going to sleep for many years. I still have a lot of nightmares, but writing a song about them somehow made them less scary. Nightmares can become really silly in the daytime.” This synthesis of old insomnia paired with new anxiety becomes clear as the song comes to a close, with Ågren merging past and present as she sings with nostalgia, “I fell asleep to dolphin sounds / Wooden flutes and storytime / Couldn’t close my eyes / But it helped sometimes / A CD that my mom gave to me / Music for wellbeing / I can still hear the ocean when I lie in bed at night.” She returns to the chorus again, “I’m not that scared.” Armed with Ågren‘s stupefying vocals and beautifully written lyrics, listeners are bound to feel fearless, too.

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You might be familiar with Wy, a Swedish duo whose touching brand of dream-pop resonated greatly with us back in 2017. They returned this year with their second effort Softie, a noisier and grittier version of Wy that was more My Bloody Valentine and Chromatics than Cocteau Twins. It was great, and it pointed towards a new direction of the project to be explored in upcoming releases. It turns out that those upcoming releases are happening now, although not under the Wy moniker. Lead singer Ebba Gustafsson Ågren is kickstarting her solo career as Cuntrie with her debut single “The Singer”, out now via Feverish. “I’ve wanted to challenge myself in terms of producing and writing for a while now and this is the result of that,” she explains. It’s heavily reminiscent of some of the more straightforward material on Softie, which is a good thing.

A poignant three-minute bedroom pop song, “The Singer” feels very much like a more intimate Wy spin-off. There is no hiding behind mumbled singing and layers of distortion; instead, “The Singer” starts off just with a drum beat and a subdued bassline, slowly incorporating more instruments as the lyrics get heavier: “People thought that you killed yourself / I´m sorry that I phrased it like that”. It’s an exercise in venting off, a letter addressed to someone who might never read it (her brother, actually). The song’s apex comes right at the end, with Cuntrie letting out a piercing cry that somehow works as an instant earworm. You can listen to “The Singer” in your preferred streaming service or by watching the much-recommended music video, which charmingly doubles down on the project’s DIY aesthetic.

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Swedish duo Wy is back with a new video, released in anticipation of their upcoming album, Softie. Comprised of real-life couple Ebba Ågren and Michel Gustafsson, the indie pop wizards have churned out a piece that’s equal parts woeful and wonderful. Despite the name of the track, “Tired II” is anything but worn out. The sonic elements provide a dynamic backbone for the stunning visuals, which given an intimate look at the relationship between the two of them with low-quality shots of the couple going about their business: brushing teeth, walking on cobblestoned streets, sleeping, and even cutting Ebba‘s hair. Compounded by Ågren‘s roaring, chortling, harmonizing, Kate Bush-like vocals, this track is a certainly a slam dunk.

With their standout debut LP Okay, Wy managed to build a reputation on their ability to create pockets of lightness within sonic darkness. This single points towards more exploration into the relationship between hard and soft on their upcoming album. In a statement released by the band, Ågren said of the video, “We filmed the video during the fall and winter of last year, which was a really tough time for both of us. I had a job that was killing me, we broke up with our current record label, and we fought with our friends, we were forced to leave our apartment and cancel our tour. It was just a lot at the same time.” She adds, “We wanted to balance out the drama of the song with something simple and personal… This is the first time one of our videos is showing Michel how I see him, and how he sees me.” Certainly, this juxtaposition is apparent– the lugubriousness of the lyrics hitting against the affection that radiates from the visuals creates this dichotomy. Wy‘s new video seems like less of a music video and more like a summer’s day after a big storm– as the dark clouds roll away, the world relearns how to be beautiful and bright again.

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It seems like the best moments in life are often described by saying, “it felt like I was floating”. Stainwasher’s “Joy For Me” blows that feeling out into a massive, ambient singularity that seems to span the whole solar system over the course of just four-and-a-half minutes.

Stainwasher took a chance on herself, and put in the time to turn a SoundCloud project into one signed by Feverish, with the result being tye-dye for your ears. The emotional core lying under all of the deep, airy layers of “Joy For Me” is a sense of longing for the people and things that matter in life, along with a recognition of the menial garbage that hold us back from them. A simple thought conveyed abstractly, the track feels something like Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, but if it maybe took place underwater.

About the track, Stainwasher detailed:

[su_quote]The song is about my wish to be able to spend time doing things that brings me joy. I’m often held back by stuff like jobs, mistakes and my brain in general. And when those things start to affect me too much, I still need to keep it together so I don’t contaminate the people around me. Epidemics can be spread easier than you think, or perhaps you don’t think of them at all.[/su_quote]

If you want to feel the sensation of traveling to the beach and floating directionless through the ocean with the sun on your face, but without the hassle, “Joy For Me” is a close substitute. Keep an eye out for Stainwasher’s debut EP coming in a few weeks. In the meantime, extend the mystery with her sylvan, Ebba Gustafsson Ågren-directed video below.

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Sweden’s singer-songwriter Ebba Salomonsson, better known as Benz, unveils today the video of the title track of her upcoming debut EP. In the visuals, that were directed by wy‘s Ebba Gustafsson Ågren, Salomonsson is playing the role of a cowgirl enjoying her Scandinavian countryside. About the concept of the video, she explained:

[su_quote]Erazor is about moving to a new city and all the fears and emotion that comes with something that big -both the good and bad. The video reflects the sound more than the story. I wanted to capture the playfulness of the song. That’s why Ebba (Gustafsson Ågren, director) captured me having fun and playing around on the Swedish countryside[/su_quote]

Watch the video below and read our full review of the track over there.

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