Fresh Scandinavian sounds

From exciting newcomers to culinary-themed comebacks, here are some recommended playlist additions for the month of May.

Swedish artist ORKID is back with her first new music since last year’s Where Flowers Grow EP, and she’s still got her mind on that life-giving earth – this time trilling about “the garden of Eden”! Pleasingly, she’s also maintained the quality control of that EP, which helped her pick up a Grammy nomination this year; new single EDEN is some truly beautiful Scandi synthpoppery.

There’s a lot to be said for the simplistic charms that lie within a jaunty pop song, and the new release from Finland’s Behm has got bags of them! Plus, not only is Kaiken Arvoinen unlike anything else out there right now in the melodical sense, it also manages to pull off what’s a rare feat in the streaming age we’re in these days; it clocks in at almost four minutes in length.

10,000 Tuntii is the debut single from Finnish newcomer KAUKUA. Written, produced and performed entirely by the man himself, it’s an incredibly strong first-showing for the artist. The song’s melody is dripping with enough melancholia that it’s placed him right at the top of my list of new acts to listen out for in 2025.

Another Finnish newcomer to keep your eyes and ears on is 19-year-old Eino, who has just released his debut Haamuja. It’s a one-listen-and-you’re-hooked kind of affair, and so he’s ticked that box of strong first-impression with aplomb!

Finally, almost 40 years after it became one of the signature Swedish hits of the ’80s, Lasse Holm’s Canelloni Macaroni is back on the table! With a souped-up production from Swedish producer Nause and newly recorded vocals from Lasse himself, it can serve as the Italian-themed snack to every ‘grillfest’ across Sweden this summer.

Web: www.scandipop.co.uk