"I don't like feeling empty / So why do I keep chasing out / Every thought with the heat to dissolve my beliefs / 'Til I'm hollow..."
The elegant art rock curtains and dense storytelling of "Winter" by Gothenburg Sweden based quintet Day Felice, the first release since their 2021 sophomore album 'Ashes', feels so emotionally wrought and beautifully orchestrated in terms of it's classical and proggy rock nature. In fact, the sweeping vocal performance by singer / pianist Linnéa Feline Lindström who packs a sort of novella worth of powerful narrative within a little over 5 minutes is stunning in it's melodic ebb and fervor. Lindström's vocal melodies lilts and sprints in such interesting ways that her density of prose feels as stacked (at times) as hip hop to me while still having the breathe and scope of classical endeavors mirroring her skilled piano moves.
In many ways, the sophistications here (from the entire band) colliding with art rock prowess is rare these days and I cannot help but think about atmospheres adjacent to luminaries such as Queen and Elton John or more contemporary hybrid sounds like Moonspeak (Sweden's Robert Jallinder) or Abandoned Pools or even The Overhead Bins. Any way you describe Day Felice or try to de-code the theatrical aesthetic here, if certainly feels refreshing, impactful and, dare I say, romantic. I like artists / bands who have a distinct vision however they arrive at them and Day Felice certainly are universe building here. According to LINER NOTES, there touchstones "include Queen, David Bowie, Fiona Apple, and Kate Bush" and I don't mind saying that when the sumptuous killer lead drops at around 3:20 that I gleefully felt an amalgam of Brian May and Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe). If you are going to have inspirational touchstones then they might as well be the most artfully creative. All that being said, my introduction to Day Felice also shows their style to also be utterly their own.
LYRICS
I don't like feeling empty
So why do I keep chasing out
Every thought with the heat to dissolve my beliefs
'Til I'm hollow
A shell of what's meant to be me
Staying down keeping quiet
Trying not to be seen
In the woods under snow
There's an angel alone in a lake
She is sleeping
In blankets of silver and waste
When the spring comes
I hope that she will be awake
Watching over us
Stood in the way of mistakes
Like admitting to you that I want to be seen
And by you only you 'til the end of my days
That I wasted on a winter dream
But as weak as it seems
I don't want to be seen
But oh I want to be seen
To know I'm there
I want you to walk along with me
To lean on the words you don't believe
And I want you to
Know the heart you came into
Whatever we are going through
I can't deny my all belongs to you
Trying to deal with the grief of a past that was not what it seemed
And bereaved of a life that was just out of reach
While I carry the weight of the walls that I lean on
I'll stay underneath trying not to be seen
What a week
Trying to deal with a world that denies what I need
Or it cuts me for proof that I know what I bleed
All the while tearing down all the walls that I lean on
Expect me to lead where I don't want to be seen
You don't see me through eyes that are primed to believe
And as long as you don't I'll be caught inbetween
It's a classic
When you're in too deep
Trying to be what it easy and not what is real
And then you want to be seen
To know I'm there
I want you to walk along with me
To lean on the words you don't believe
And I want you to
Know the heart you came into
Whatever we are going through
I can't deny my all belongs to you
I'm afraid that it begins to show
I'm afraid that it'll be all my fault
I'm afraid that you will need to know
Trying to feel what I feel
But you won't if I don't
I'm afraid of where I'll need to go
I'm afraid that I'll be going alone
I'm afraid of how you've come so close
Trying to see what I mean
When I don't want to be seen
But if you can know the heart you came into
I'll have what I'm afraid to loose
I can't deny my all belongs to you
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
Every thought with the heat to dissolve my beliefs
'Til I'm hollow
A shell of what's meant to be me
Staying down keeping quiet
Trying not to be seen
In the woods under snow
There's an angel alone in a lake
She is sleeping
In blankets of silver and waste
When the spring comes
I hope that she will be awake
Watching over us
Stood in the way of mistakes
Like admitting to you that I want to be seen
And by you only you 'til the end of my days
That I wasted on a winter dream
But as weak as it seems
I don't want to be seen
But oh I want to be seen
To know I'm there
I want you to walk along with me
To lean on the words you don't believe
And I want you to
Know the heart you came into
Whatever we are going through
I can't deny my all belongs to you
Trying to deal with the grief of a past that was not what it seemed
And bereaved of a life that was just out of reach
While I carry the weight of the walls that I lean on
I'll stay underneath trying not to be seen
What a week
Trying to deal with a world that denies what I need
Or it cuts me for proof that I know what I bleed
All the while tearing down all the walls that I lean on
Expect me to lead where I don't want to be seen
You don't see me through eyes that are primed to believe
And as long as you don't I'll be caught inbetween
It's a classic
When you're in too deep
Trying to be what it easy and not what is real
And then you want to be seen
To know I'm there
I want you to walk along with me
To lean on the words you don't believe
And I want you to
Know the heart you came into
Whatever we are going through
I can't deny my all belongs to you
I'm afraid that it begins to show
I'm afraid that it'll be all my fault
I'm afraid that you will need to know
Trying to feel what I feel
But you won't if I don't
I'm afraid of where I'll need to go
I'm afraid that I'll be going alone
I'm afraid of how you've come so close
Trying to see what I mean
When I don't want to be seen
But if you can know the heart you came into
I'll have what I'm afraid to loose
I can't deny my all belongs to you
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[Day Felice returns with Winter, a song about wanting to be seen and fearing it. The Gothenburg-based quintet draws on the grand emotion of Queen and Bowie, the lyrical fire of Fiona Apple, and the theatrical imagination of Kate Bush. On Winter, that palette translates into cinematic dynamics: verse and pre-chorus pull you close, the chorus lifts, and the final run brings full-band power, layered harmonies, and a cathartic payoff. The production keeps the performance human and immediate. Piano felt, string overtones, drum shells moving air - so the crescendo lands with honest weight.
Lyrically, Winter frames visibility as both desire and risk. The writing uses clear, direct images rather than allegory, allowing the arrangement to carry the drama. It’s a song that moves from inner monologue to spotlight, from the private to the shared, and it does so without losing warmth.
Winter is the band’s first release since the album Ashes and a statement of intent for what comes next.]
Lyrically, Winter frames visibility as both desire and risk. The writing uses clear, direct images rather than allegory, allowing the arrangement to carry the drama. It’s a song that moves from inner monologue to spotlight, from the private to the shared, and it does so without losing warmth.
Winter is the band’s first release since the album Ashes and a statement of intent for what comes next.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
https://soundcloud.com/day-felice
https://www.facebook.com/dayfelice
https://www.instagram.com/dayfeliceband/
Day Felice shape dramatic and theatrical rock with a cinematic pulse. Fronted by singer and pianist Linnéa Feline Lindström, the Gothenburg-based quintet move from whispered intimacy to widescreen crescendos, with piano-led arrangements, layered vocal harmonies, and expressive guitars. Touchstones include Queen, David Bowie, Fiona Apple, and Kate Bush, yet the sound is unmistakably Day Felice: sweeping, romantic, and fearlessly emotive.
Formed in 2018, the band blend conservatory-tight musicianship with storytelling instincts. Several members are active in musical theatre, and the group’s broader experience spans film and TV, feeding a performance-first approach: songs built like scenes, dynamics that breathe, and choruses that land like spotlights.
On stage, Day Felice have appeared across the west coast of Sweden, including Borås Stadsteater, and at marquee events such as Debutantgalan and Sveriges journalisters Grävgalan. A standout moment came when Linnéa guested The Ark for an electrifying performance on the band’s 2022 reunion tour, underscoring Day Felice’s natural home in big-feeling, high-drama music.
The discography maps a clear arc: the debut album Go On, the sophomore album Ashes, and a slate of singles refining the group’s cinematic identity. Day Felice invite audiences into songs that feel like scenes - grand emotion, sharp melodies, curtain-up energy.
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://soundcloud.com/day-felice
https://www.facebook.com/dayfelice
https://www.instagram.com/dayfeliceband/
Day Felice shape dramatic and theatrical rock with a cinematic pulse. Fronted by singer and pianist Linnéa Feline Lindström, the Gothenburg-based quintet move from whispered intimacy to widescreen crescendos, with piano-led arrangements, layered vocal harmonies, and expressive guitars. Touchstones include Queen, David Bowie, Fiona Apple, and Kate Bush, yet the sound is unmistakably Day Felice: sweeping, romantic, and fearlessly emotive.
Formed in 2018, the band blend conservatory-tight musicianship with storytelling instincts. Several members are active in musical theatre, and the group’s broader experience spans film and TV, feeding a performance-first approach: songs built like scenes, dynamics that breathe, and choruses that land like spotlights.
On stage, Day Felice have appeared across the west coast of Sweden, including Borås Stadsteater, and at marquee events such as Debutantgalan and Sveriges journalisters Grävgalan. A standout moment came when Linnéa guested The Ark for an electrifying performance on the band’s 2022 reunion tour, underscoring Day Felice’s natural home in big-feeling, high-drama music.
The discography maps a clear arc: the debut album Go On, the sophomore album Ashes, and a slate of singles refining the group’s cinematic identity. Day Felice invite audiences into songs that feel like scenes - grand emotion, sharp melodies, curtain-up energy.
Day Felice, art rock, chamber pop, new single "Winter", sophisticated rock, sophisti-pop, alt rock, fronted by pianist / singer Linnéa Feline Lindström, Sweden, Gothenburg, classical rock, theatrical rock,
No comments:
Post a Comment