"You’ve seen it coming down for days / And it feels hard to rearrange / You’re cutting out empathy / For every single time you try to / Hold the words close to you / So nothing fades away..."
The exuberant lust for life of "Don't Wait For Summer" by Icelandic singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer Axel Flóvent feels steeped in cutting through the weeds that life presents and grabbing onto those sometimes hidden opportunities that present themselves. It is hard sometimes to take those moments, to pivot, to open those doors when you might feel you don't deserve it (this is me speaking not Axel) so loving yourself is the first step and for some of us that might be the hardest hurdle to jump over.
Call me crazy or maybe stuck in my own sonic perceptions but there is something dramatically, gloriously, artfully drawn that has me feeling a mid / late 80's vibe. It might be that aforementioned hopeful exuberance, it might be the sparkling piano keys and airy electric guitar shapes, or the distinct drum sound and patterns.
[Throughout 2023, Axel wrote and recorded what would become "Away From This Dream", which was then recorded and mixed in London with British producers MyRiot (London Grammar, Aurora). He expanded his sonic palette with the procurement of a vintage Roland Juno-60 keyboard, and emphasised live percussion, piano, and electric guitar during the sessions.]
["I was obsessed with the Juno-60," he recalls. "For the first time, the whole demo process was fiddling with the sound on the synthesizer, coming up with melodies, and singing. I demoed 30 songs and chose the ten best. I was experimenting with more live elements, and I had a lot of fun recording. Before, I primarily had relied on the acoustic guitar. I genuinely experimented here."]
Cause’ something, somethings in the water
And you can feel it too
So don’t wait, don’t wait for the summer
To make it all come true"
[‘Away from this dream’ is a collection of songs I’ve written in the last year inspired by times I’ve had the need to please to deserve love and affection. I’ve been struggling with codependency and OCD for as long as I remember. These songs contain my thoughts and feelings through various situations with a lot of different people and moments I’ve met in my life.]
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Axel Flóvent, Iceland, singer-songwriter / multi-instrumentalist / producer, new album "Away From This Dream", evocative single "Don't Wait For Summer", folk, indie rock, alt pop, indie pop,
Liner notes (bracketed) might lend a clue:
["I was obsessed with the Juno-60," he recalls. "For the first time, the whole demo process was fiddling with the sound on the synthesizer, coming up with melodies, and singing. I demoed 30 songs and chose the ten best. I was experimenting with more live elements, and I had a lot of fun recording. Before, I primarily had relied on the acoustic guitar. I genuinely experimented here."]
Does certain instruments inform a sound or songwriting? Maybe, maybe not but I do think that vintage instruments (and the Juno-60 dropped in around 1983) can be like emotional touchstones that contain a little bit of magic and kind of compels you to pull from specific times. I felt that when I acquired my vintage 1972 Fender Jaguar. Anyway you dissect it, "Don't Wait For Summer" with it's indie rock punching down beats, is a lush track with the connective tissue being Axel Flóvent's evocative vocal performance and inspired songwriting that contains such emotional dynamism.
"Somethings in the water
Somethings in the waterCause’ something, somethings in the water
And you can feel it too
So don’t wait, don’t wait for the summer
To make it all come true"
The "Away From This Dream" album dropped on June 7th of this year and Axel Flóvent shares this:
[‘Away from this dream’ is a collection of songs I’ve written in the last year inspired by times I’ve had the need to please to deserve love and affection. I’ve been struggling with codependency and OCD for as long as I remember. These songs contain my thoughts and feelings through various situations with a lot of different people and moments I’ve met in my life.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/axelflovent
https://www.facebook.com/AxelFlovent
https://x.com/AxelFlovent
https://axelflovent.bandcamp.com/album/away-from-this-dream
Born and raised in the Northern fishing village of Húsavík, singer-songwriter and producer Axel Flóvent recorded his first EP 'Forest Fires EP', it was here where the songs were written under the influence of everything from Bon Iver to Bombay Bicycle Club It yielded an international phenomenon in the form of the title track, generating over 70 million streams. At 19 years old Axel moved to Amsterdam to connect with the vibrancy of the Dutch music scene. He then traded Amsterdam for the seaside town of Brighton in the UK where he recorded his EP 'Youthful Hearts'. The proximity to the open sea and coastline, gave him clarity to move back to his roots, returning to Iceland and planting seeds in the capital Reykjavík. . Tapping into the DIY spirit of his earliest recordings, but with a sense of refinement and newfound perspective, Axel continued his musical journey releasing in 2021 his debut album 'You Stay by the Sea' with his new label home Nettwerk Records (Passenger, SYML, Angus & Julia Stone). In 2022 he kept himself busy creatively, releasing a collaboration EP as well as a deluxe version of his debut album, that included his emotive latest single 'Tomorrow Will Be Gone'. Axel is currently dividing his time between playing shows/festivals across Europe and writing new music in his studio in Iceland. For Fans Of: The Paper Kites, Ásgeir, Hollow Coves, Harrison Storm.
Born and raised in the Northern fishing village of Húsavík, singer-songwriter and producer Axel Flóvent recorded his first EP 'Forest Fires EP', it was here where the songs were written under the influence of everything from Bon Iver to Bombay Bicycle Club It yielded an international phenomenon in the form of the title track, generating over 70 million streams. At 19 years old Axel moved to Amsterdam to connect with the vibrancy of the Dutch music scene. He then traded Amsterdam for the seaside town of Brighton in the UK where he recorded his EP 'Youthful Hearts'. The proximity to the open sea and coastline, gave him clarity to move back to his roots, returning to Iceland and planting seeds in the capital Reykjavík. . Tapping into the DIY spirit of his earliest recordings, but with a sense of refinement and newfound perspective, Axel continued his musical journey releasing in 2021 his debut album 'You Stay by the Sea' with his new label home Nettwerk Records (Passenger, SYML, Angus & Julia Stone). In 2022 he kept himself busy creatively, releasing a collaboration EP as well as a deluxe version of his debut album, that included his emotive latest single 'Tomorrow Will Be Gone'. Axel is currently dividing his time between playing shows/festivals across Europe and writing new music in his studio in Iceland. For Fans Of: The Paper Kites, Ásgeir, Hollow Coves, Harrison Storm.
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