Loney Dear

Description

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen releases records and performs under the enigmatic pseudonym Loney Dear. In the early 2000s, in his Stockholm studio, Svanängen made a name for himself by creating his own CDs with a minidisc microphone and a computer; he would later produce his albums himself, which caught the attention of Sub Pop in 2007, leading to the release of his first official album, Loney Noir. Two albums followed – Dear John and Hall Music – both receiving very favorable reviews from The Guardian, BBC, Pitchfork, and Line of Best Fit, which described the artist as a "brilliant genius." Loney Dear has accustomed us to his vibrant and elegant music, both intimate and self-aware, inspiring and heartbreaking, carried by his fragile and sometimes uncontrollable voice. This new album places the artist in a broader and more complex register than the indie pop he is often associated with. "There is a certain darkness in my music here," says Svanängen. "I have learned to make my internal darkness more visible because I don't want to appear brighter than I am (...) I have found myself in terrible situations, I have learned a lot about myself, I have discovered music, my artistic sense, my strengths and weaknesses." Inspired by the inimitable Nina Simone among others, Loney Dear's new album recalls the brilliant and intimate compositions of Bon Iver, the more electronic music of John Grant, and the production work of Brian Eno, combined with jazzier rhythms.