Our favourite track of this week, taken from the brand new album “Away From This Dream,” out today [Friday 7th June 2024] from Iceland’s Axel Flóvent. The gorgeous track “Don’t Wait For Summer” is accompanied by a video, also released today.
The Icelandic singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer chronicles memories and moments through a combination of folk eloquence and alternative sonic expression punctuated by bursts of magnetic pop.
On his sophomore effort “Away From This Dream” released via Nettwerk, Axel leans into life’s ebb and flow as he allows his signature sound to breathe and thrive. Axel says: “I’ve always been a big fan of artists who evolve on each album.
“I don’t feel limited in terms of what I can do. It’s important for me to be able to explore a variety of sounds to show different sides of myself. I wanted to create an album I could perform with a band for a lot of people at a festival or you could listen to on headphones alone.”
Also out today is the track “This Feeling” with the official video premiering 10 minutes ago while writing this feature. Fresh out of the box!
Born and raised in the Northern fishing village of Húsavík, the world initially met Axel in 2015 when he unveiled his independent debut “Forest Fires” EP. The title track eventually gathered north of 74 million Spotify streams and counting.
He engaged audiences with his “Quiet Eyes” EP in 2017, “Tourist” EP in 2020, and the full-length debut “You Stay by the Sea” in 2021. From the latter, the title track tallied more than five million Spotify streams, followed by “Tourist” with close to five million.
In 2022 he released the collaborative EP “Coexist” which featured collaborations with Tusks, Hayden Calnin, Plàsi, and Ciaran Lavery.
Having amassed in excess of 100 million streams, Axel started 2024 with a handful of successful headline shows across The Netherlands and Iceland, and he embarked on two support stints across Denmark and Germany, and played SXSW in Austin, Texas.
“My biggest dream is for this record to stick with you long-term. Ideally, it becomes a companion to grow with you. That’s what music does for me”, says Axel.
Photo above by Magnus Andersen
