Loney Dear - Dear John

, the new record from Sweden’s Loney Dear, is apparently the final piece of an intricate five-album puzzle that Emil Svanängen has been composing since his debut in 2003. And it is the ultimate realization of the potential that has been hinted at with each subsequent release, finally finding the perfect combination of Emil’s Scandinavian twee sound and his inherent love of German electronic music. The album tends to be quite dark, lyrically, while maintaining a somewhat sunny musical composition, which is quite a pleasant contrast, and one that can attract fans of both lighthearted, breezy pop songs and those that favor music with a slightly bleaker outlook. Recorded mainly in Svanängen’s Stockholm studio apartment, ‘Dear John’ is a testament to what a good musician can do when he tinkers around with good songs long enough.

The album’s first track (and also the lead single) ‘Airport Surroundings’, is an upbeat, propulsive dance track with sinister undertones hidden beneath the layers of synthesizers and breezy vocals, with Svanängen sneaking in the bitter lines ‘I bought a ticket to hell when I met up with you’ before the airy ‘na na na’ chorus begins. That stark polarity is present for much of the album, as blissful keyboard effects and dynamic drum beats are layered heavily over downcast lyrics steeped with petulance. ‘I Was Only Going Out’ features a rapturous whistling chorus that alludes to the style of Andrew Bird, who himself guests on ‘I Got Lost’ with an evocative violin piece that adds to the ominous feel of the song. Depending on the weather or the mood of the listener, this record certainly can have divergent interpretations on different days, either putting a spring in your step as you lively set about the town or cause you to pray for rain as the storm clouds slowly gather. The second half of the record features slightly more downbeat numbers than the first, with the echoing, soaring female chorus of ‘Distant’ and the percussive ‘Violent’ really standing out, as the album eases the listener and the subjects of the songs into a future no one is sure about, but one that promises to be wholly different than today.

The 11 tracks found on ‘Dear John’, as the title of the record suggests, each hints at a personal letter left behind by an author that’s long gone, never to return. They are steeped in emotion and fragile at their heart, but remain unbreakable through both the resolve of their subjects and the strength of the arrangements, which propel the songs continually forward and never let them lag behind in anguish. This is a tightly crafted record from start to finish, with each song carefully poured over by Emil for going-on three years now, and the running order was selected to craft a mood and an impression that lasts long after the record is finished. ‘Dear John’ is not the sound of a heart breaking, it is the sound of a heart repairing itself, ready to beat again.