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Frida Sundemo’s debut is a journey through space and time
It has been a long time coming, but finally it is here; Frida Sundemo’s debut record! Well, technically the Swedish electronic pop artist did make an album years ago, but this is her first unrestricted major release. She first gained some serious online buzz back in 2013 when her Indigo EP dropped, which featured the impressive singles ‘Snow’ and ‘Indigo’. In the meantime she casually starred alongside Nicholas Hoult and James Corden in the movie Kill Your Friends and then made her glorious return to pop with the larger than life single ‘We Are Dreamers’. Now the album Flashbacks & Futures is out and proves to be a record electro pop fans around the world should not miss.
Frida Sundemo’s debut album was lead by a single run that is to die for. She kicked off with the bonkers production and humongous chorus of ‘We Are Dreamers’, followed by the beautifully soaring synths and violions infusion ‘It’s OK’ and then topped things off nicely with ‘Gold’, a one way ticket to synth pop heaven. Now us pop fans have learned that albums might disappoint with filler material after a good singles campaign, but not our dear Frida. Flashbacks & Futures delivers from start to finish.
The album starts out with a prelude that leads into the stunning title track. Frida’s distinctive, crystal clear, shimmering sound of voice (how the love baby of Robyn and Kylie Minogue would sound) immediately grabs the listener, when she sings about looking out of her window in a melancholic manner. The chorus is a big moment and the hooks are undeniable. Frida basically lays all the elements on the table that makes Swedish electro pop unchallenged.
The record is perfectly cohesive and has a set soundscape that moves between synths and orchestrations in which the songs have their own little personalities. Tracks like ‘Forever Us’ and ‘Islands’ have a similar big build up to a chorus that repeats the same sentence in a hypnotic way. ‘Keep An Eye On Me’ follows the same structure, be it with less beat and a more understated production. A track like ‘Stay Young’ offers the necessary change of pace, with a more laidback summery vibe going on. The beautiful ‘Circles’ halfway and the moving album closer ‘Astronaut’ offer the stripped back ballad moments and although Frida’s voice seems tailor made for upbeat electro pop, she convinces here as well.
Flashbacks & Futures serves a futuristic sound that would fit well on a sci-fi space movie, a theme that comes back in the music video for ‘Gold’ and tracks like ‘Astronaut’ as well. The flashback element in the music is hearable in some subtle nods to the pop music of the 90s. Frida Sundemo’s official debut offers us thrilling electro pop journey through time and space.