Introducing…Benjamin Gustafsson

Benjamin Gustafsson is a singer-songwriter and composer from Sweden. Benjamin’s musical output spans both acoustic folk songs (in English and Swedish) and instrumental compositions for the piano. He produces his own recordings from his small home studio in the solitude of the Swedish countryside.

Benjamin’s creative influences include Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, and songwriters such as Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Nick Cave. Outside of music, his creative pursuits include photography, writing, reading, and exploring the forest that surrounds his home.

 Benjamin Gustafsson has announced his album release The Nature Within, his first with Decca Records US. The 11-track set will be released on Sept. 8, 2023 and the first single from the collection is “Sleeping?” out now.

Introducing…Vance Joy

Australian indie folk singer/songwriter Vance Joy began his career playing the Melbourne open-mike scene at the end of the 2000s while completing his law degree. Finding success with his intimate Bon Iver-influenced songs, 

His catchy folk-pop single “Riptide” was an immediate success in Australia and eventually led him to sign a lengthy multi-album deal with Atlantic Records. In 2013, Joy began touring internationally and recording his first album for Atlantic. His debut Dream Your Life Away arrived in September 2014.

Vance Joy has released a sunshine-fueled new music video for his track “Catalonia.” The song appears on the Australian singer-songwriter’s new album, In Our Own Sweet Time, out now via Atlantic Records. The video was directed by Macari de Golferichs and stars Inés Coca.

The muses of La Musa: Adna

Adna Kadic’smusic feels as cold as the Baltic at night, painted against a sombre landscape with stirring, heartfelt lyrics.The young Swedish singer’s emotionally-tinged songs bring the softly-voiced star to larger-than-life proportions through hallowed and crushing soliloquies to the night.  

Performed on the piano and guitar, Adna’s songs lead with the heart and are poignant and intensely moving. Scandinavian candour and a subtle approach to song writing, Adna has understandably been compared to the likes of Bon Iver and Daughter. Her music portrays the openness that only a young, gifted songstress can, exposing an opaque world through her gentle, tender arrangements.

Adna has shared her single ‘Don’t Know’, and announced her fourth album, ‘Black Water’.

Hit of the week: Bon Iver “Hey, Ma”

Bon Iver are back. Justin Vernon’s ever-expanding musical project just shared two new songs, expanded their fall tour dates, and unveiled a mysterious website.

The new tracks are called “Hey, Ma” and “U (Man Like).” Bon Iver played the studio recordings for the audience last night at London’s All Points East festival, where they also directed fans to a website called icommai. The site’s most recent post features a number of credits, which mirror the impressive list of collaborators on the new songs.

According to a press release, “Hey, Ma” was produced by Chris Messina, Brad Cook, Justin Vernon, and BJ Burton. It features vocals from Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner and sampling by Psymun. “U (Man Like)” was produced by Messina, Cook, and Vernon. It also features vocals from Wasner in addition to Moses Sumney, Elsa Jensen, and Bruce Hornsby, who also plays piano on the track. Vernon writes, “This project began with a single person, but throughout the last 11 years, the identity of Bon Iver has bloomed and can only be defined by the faces in the ever growing family we are.”

Introducing… Geppetto & The Whales

Four years after their debut ‘Heads of Woe’, Geppetto & Co. travelled from Antwerp to Wisconsin, USA to record their next album ‘Passages’. Under the wings of the great Brian Joseph, the producer of Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens.

The very first full album by Geppetto & the Whales came out early 2014. This beautifully crafted debut, from this Belgian indie band, sounds mature and young at the same time. It blends beautiful little melodies with overwhelming soundscapes. Geppetto & The Whales have a sound that is both classic and endlessly refreshing. New album ‘Passages’ is out now.

The muses of La Musa: Mavica

Mavica is composer and guitarist, Marta Casanova, originally from Cartagena and resident in London, where she is currently preparing her debut EP ‘Gone’, a collection of songs that has already taken her to perform in Barcelona, Madrid, Murcia and even Berlin. But it is in the British capital, where Mavica studies music and production and where the young artist has found the place to finally materialize her debut. Folk pop songs with influences that go from Bon Iver to Sufjan Stevens or Amy Winehouse to Ben Howard. On October 29 Mavica debuted in Barcelona, opening for Roo Panes (UK) at the Moritz Factory, the artist dazzled the audience with her unmistakable voice and catchy melodies. Tonight she presents her present her first-ever EP, ‘Gone’  at L’Auditori.

Best Covers: Rosie Carney ‘K.’

Donegal based singer songwriter Rosie Carney has made a cover version of New York group Cigarettes After Sex’s 2012 single ‘K’.  Her work is described as songs that feel lived-in and worn, conveying a bruised ache well beyond her years and her voice has “Bon Iver-esque tenderness, Laura Marling-like strength, and the haunting awareness of both”.