Following in the footsteps of fellow Danish female alternative pop icons Oh Land and Agnes Obel, Freya from the north delivers an eclectic collection of ponderous pop tunes with a distinct character in her latest EP Skarlet.
Based in the Danish capital Copenhagen, Freya from the north is the musical outlet for singer and songwriter Freya Larsen. Larsen’s sound defies all genre definitions, landing somewhere totally removed from all pop we’ve heard before. Freya’s strain of pop is sophisticated, with howling reverbs, and chord sequences that are equally desolate and inviting. A charming blend of indie, alternative, art, and chamber pop, with prominent ambient undercurrents. Skarlet is a stunningly beautiful record to sit down and digest.
Inspired -in Freya’s own words- by Norse folklore, and by Scandinavia, the surreal coldness can be felt in the album’s cold, reverb-laden layers. Throughout the EP’s 5 cuts, the sonic fingerprint of cavernous reverbs might be the one string binding the songs together, making the whole experience cohesive and genuinely dazzling. The pieces on Skarlet are so good that it is impossible to pick a favorite, but if I was forced to choose at gunpoint, it would be the starter ‘Lucky (Had My Tights On)’.
The distant and robotic beat on the starter ‘Lucky’ fuses with the expansive reverbs for a rhythmic backbone that readily shines throughout the song, from a place deeply buried in the back of the mix. The song’s composition is serene and warm with familiar chords and harmonic rhythm, and Larsen’s ethereal vocals drape the soundscape with a lush melodic layer that lends the music most of its unique charm. ‘I’ve Got Time’ follows. A genuinely hypnotic array of synth pads and minimal melodies form one of the short EP’s most glacial intros. The open-ended chords and ambient character of the song create a sense of being suspended in space, cradled by the layered vocal part, doubled in harmony, melodic, and tastefully subdued. ‘I’ve Got Time’ is another favorite on an album of favorites.
The ambient pop rock anthem ‘I Don’t Want Your Child’ features massive reverbs and a driving beat. The heartwarming composition, lively pace, and polar coldness collide to create a rather distinctive pop rock sound that could honestly come from nowhere other than a Nordic country. The whimsical vocal melody, curiously creeping around the chord movements, calls to mind the Icelandic alternative legend Bjork, and her explorative vocal reveries. Nordic through and through. The EP closes with the eerily gorgeous ‘Fjord Song’. The vocals start this piece like a wordless hymn before the warm guitar and plucky synth kick in, introducing what are -by far- the EP’s most prominent instrumental lines. The last minute of ‘Fjord Song’ is one of the album’s most memorable.
Skarlet is utterly sublime. A gorgeous production of 5 exquisitely crafted songs. With empowering lyrics and music as visual and this, Freya Larsen’s debut as the enigmatically titled Freya from the north is extremely noteworthy.
