A gentle, reflective, meditative, but quietly defiant fifth LP by the Swedish-Argentine indie-folk guitarist and singer-songwriter, following his last, Local Valley, broadening his perspective in an urgent call to preserve the light of humanity as technology advances in ironically darkening world. These are songs with this aims, which “can comfort, give courage, give wonder, give contrast, give hope, give calm, offer community”. A running theme is that while he embraces technological advancement, the way that it increasingly shapes how we think, feel, and relate to one another at the expense of human development, attention span and empathy, all needs to be questioned. Opener A Perfect Storm, with his highly accomplished acoustic guitar taking prominent place, also describes the current situation in no uncertain terms: “It's a numbers game / Ignoring all the combined tail-end risks / Gambling with our common fate / To quench the thirst of a few … Intentions don't matter much / As the dominoes start to fall.” Etyd gently points a finger at climate denial or indifference: “To be carried on by the seasons / Oblivious to the currents, spikes and waves / Makes the day to day so much еasier / Is fine if you're a child or aim to rеmain as one.” The title track understatedly moves at a gentle walking pace, yet defiantly calls for us to: “Disconnect from every algorithm / Every perverse incentive / That drags you down / Let's rebel against the replicators / Against the dying of the light/ Kill the codes that feed the hate/ Keep the codes that make you thrive / Celebrate the fucking fact that we're alive.” Other highlights include the the lovely, simple For Every Dusk, the Spanish-sung Pajarito, the fast-flowing lower-strings riff of Losing Game (Sick), in which he quietly sings: “When did we go wrong / When did we take the wrong turn … When did we get distracted / When did we lose our grip / When did we turn on each other?”), the beautiful finger-picking and rhythmic technique on Gymnasten, the insistent yet fragile Just A Rock, and the optimistic, slow gentle closer Joy (Can’t Help But Sing). Filled with important messages, it’s also beautiful music that can decorate without necessarily dictating. Overall - delicate but defiant. Out on Imperial Recordings / City Slang.
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