Hey Readers,
Welcome back. Hope all is well with you.
Today I’m excited to talk about the Swedish duo Abstract Crimewave. The group who was formerly known as Smile is comprised of Björn Yttling (Peter Bjorn and John) and Joakim Åhlund (Les Big Byrd, Caesars, Teddybears). As Smile the duo released two full length albums, 2012’s A Flash In The Night and 2022’s Phantom Island. The latter featuring the fabulous singer, songwriter, DJ, record producer and fellow Swede, Robyn on perhaps my favorite song on that album, “Call My Name (Feat. Robyn)”. Phantom Island is an album worth looking into especially after you finish this preview.
And once again, music fans and extremely talented artists, Björn Yttling and Joakim Åhlund have come together to release 8 new songs on their new album The Longest Night, their first release as Abstract Crimewave. The album out is Friday, October 4th via the Chimp Limbs label. And to the surprise of none of the band’s fans, this release also features great collaborations from familiar artists. Lykke Li? Chrissie Hynde? Gustav Ejstes of Dungen? Yes, yes and yes. After decades of involvement with The Pretenders as co-founder, main songwriter and lead vocalist, Chrissie Hynde’s released her debut album Stockholm in 2014. Stockholm was co-written and produced by Åhlund and Yttling. Via this album’s press release, “[Hynde] lends her unmistakable vocals to the psych-tinged pop of the title track “The Longest Night” and Dungen frontman Gustav Ejstes sings and plays flute on the chirpy “Flyga Fram.” After listening to the entire album, including those songs, I can’t succinctly summarize it better myself.
While talking about the album’s title via the album’s press release, Yttling said: “In Sweden, when you get to around the 22nd of December, there’s something uplifting about knowing that it’s the longest night, because it’s the turning point of something. And maybe that’s what this album is for us as a band, a turning point.”
The Longest Night tracklist:
- Heading Out [4:14]
- The Gambler (feat. Lykke Li) [2:47]
- Sailing Away [3:14]
- The Lighthouse [2:02]
- The Longest Night (ft. Chrissie Hynde) [3:03]
- Flyga Fram (ft. Gustav Ejstes of Dungen) [3:02]
- Dämba Träsk [2:18]
- Dödmansgrepp [4:53]
Here are two singles from the bands YouTube channel to get you hyped up:
“The Gambler (feat. Lykee Li):
(All credits and rights to Abstract Crimewave)
“Flyga Fram (ft. Gustav Ejstes of Dungen)”:
(All credits and rights to Abstract Crimewave)
My thoughts? This is arguably the duo of Yttling and Åhlund’s best album yet regardless of their band’s title. There’s a lot to like including the atmosphere, warm vibes, musicianship and vocals. The opening song, “Heading Out” lives up to its designed role as a good mood setter. We all have albums in mind that don’t set the table as well as they should. This album isn’t on that list. Lykke Li and Chrissie Hynde’s vocal contributes elevate the respective songs they are in. The flute from titular musician within “Flyga Fram (ft. Gustav Ejstes of Dungen)” is not only an unexpected treat but a welcomed one. “Dödmansgrepp” aka Dead man’s grip in English is a beautiful closer. The melody flows, floats and chimes while the drums hold steady. To me, overall, The Longest Night does indeed lay the groundwork for their new identity as a band. And the album cover is incredible.
To get you started, here’s the band’s site linked with all the socials you could want and just below that, info on how to get the album depending on your location. There are some great looking vinyl and merch options. And below that you’ll find some tour info. And here’s their Bandcamp page which also offered some great pre-order items.
Happy listening!
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
