Jenny Abrahamson's label was kind enough to send me a copy of her new single "Hard to come by" and it's quite good, so I'm happy to reshare it with you. Definitely taking cues from Björn Yttling's percussion-heavy production style for artists such as Lykke Li, but with more of the melodicism of Asha Ali, it's a nice catchy tune with an insistent refrain and a playful ambience. The official release of said single is February 2, the album follows on April 13.
I have a soft spot for talented pop singers. A decent amount of my time is spent enjoying the works of artists like Imogen Heap, Lily Allen, Annie, Gwen Stefani, Robyn, and others, some guilty pleasures, others with no guilt whatsoever. Jennie Abrahamson, a Norrland girl from the same part of Sweden that birthed the Refused and The Perishers (whose singer, Ola Klüft, is featured on "Wasted heart"), has crafted a solidly produced, though somewhat lacking pop record. The melancholy sounds okay, but it doesn't always feel quite right. Title track "Lights" begins to feel like a meandering and lost expedition when it could easily have bore direction and teeth, and that can be said for a number of tracks. On "Songs we sing", Abrahamson's gorgeous voice sits comfortably alongside a song that has a sense of forward motion. "Lights" could have been so much more, and I hope Jennie Abrahamson's future recordings are - it would be a shame that such a talented vocalist should be overlooked because of lukewarm songwriting. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Jennie Abrahamson