aaamusic | On 13, Nov 2011

Simian Ghost is the Swedish electronic version of “Bon Iver”. A musical project of Swedish born Sebastian Arnström the band now performs live as a trio, consisting of Sebastian on vocals and electronics, his brother Erik Klinga on drums and Mathias Zachrisson on guitar.Think delicate vocals over a dreamy vacuum of minimal electro and you’d be on the right track. Simian Ghost have already released an LP “Infinite Traffic Everywhere” which topped the charts in Sweden. Perhaps they are trying to crack the international market with follow up E.P. “Lovelorn”.

“Poolside Glow” is a wistful sounding song that seems to emote a sense of unrest “You had so many things, and I didn’t/ Somehow that makes you feel you need them”. However as with all of the songs on this EP, the overall message of the songs is delivered in a cool, laid back, dream like manner. “Take My Hand and Lead Me Home” is one of the highlights of this EP- although relatively slow paced it has an overall upbeat, happy sound and isn’t too far off some of the tracks from the last Empire of the Sun album.

On “Note to Self” Simian Ghost go more experimental with some similar sounds to James Blake with the beautiful vocals of lead singer Sebastian hitting heavenly tones in his falsetto. The lead single from this EP will be “Free Agent” a catchy almost ethereal like song with a chilled vibe despite the steady beat. This EP is meticulously produced, well written and certainly a front runner in the new “chill wave” genre.

 

Orna Lyons