Michaela Åberg— This Is Fine
🌟 New Music Review
Released in June 2022, this album should’ve hit it big already, since it’s been a year and a half; but it was put out with little fanfare, press tours and even without millions of marketing photos posted about it on Instagram, where Michaela Åberg boasts a diehard following of about 550 fans.
Announcing the drop, Michaela wrote on Facebook -
Instead it was released quietly with a sparse, white background on the album cover on which the singer stares directly into the camera while she stands awkwardly, knees turned inward, pulling apart a tranquil, serene gesture of clasped hands, trying to break the grip.
Listen to the album on Spotify
For me, this is honestly one of the most unique and interesting sounding albums in 2022–2023.
And there have literally been thousands of great ones.
The only English review on page one of google search, that’s been written about This Is Fine, states -
“Yet this is such a confident and natural sounding release that you’d have thought she’s been doing this for years, and quite possibly on a big label too.”
I feel that’s quite apt.
Michaela Åberg, singer and songwriter in the kraut sextet Skuldpadda, who released Traitor Among Us in 2017, follows up with a hard-hitting, gritty but super catchy, sing-alongs in 2022’s release This Is Fine.
She describes her music as ‘desert psych / gothic folk’ which fits this ‘genre-bending psychedlic soft-synth layers amid heavy guitar fuzz sound’ perfectly.
The songs, from the very first strum of ‘Alien Girl’ are mesmerizing melodies, structured to weave between anguish, grief and life’s disappointment, layered in dissonant chord patterns that bleed the harsh nature of the Icelandic terrain. The nordicmusicreview also states -
“‘Way Out’, which gives the album a feeling of continuity as well as growing intensity. ‘Standing Out’ builds even further and by that stage you should find yourself completely immersed in the style and the substance. But ‘Never Enough’ heads in a different direction, upbeat melodic and almost catchy, showing she can write a good indie pop track too.”
After listening to this glorious sounding compressed distortion on drums that would shake up crowds at a festival, I was left wondering —
“What did she listen to growing up?”
“Like, who are her musical influences or favorites?”
“ This doesn’t sound like anything else I’ve heard before!”
I reached out to her — to my delight, she responded quite soon and I was honestly blown away ‘cause in my head I imagined a tortured genius, who dreams up these grand multi-layered songs while in a ‘sleep-deprived’ state.
I guess I thought it would be a long shot, but my curiosity got the better of me and I wrote :
Her answer made so much sense!
I went back to re-listen to my favorite track from the album — Way Out
The songwriting is simplistic, hard-hitting, ambiguous yet relatable to the point of feeling personal for everyone, everywhere, at the end of the song.
“There must be some way out,
There must be some way in
So I can trust what I’m feeling again.
Let the bodies drench into the sun
Let her become the waters.
There must be some way out
There must be some way in
So I can turn to myself again
Wish I knew that I crawl my way back
And I got no strength for that.
Oh ooooh aaaeww waaa ahhh
It became clear to me that instead of directly borrowing a sample, set rhythm or topic ideas, as musicians will often do, she’s morphed her influences, her life’s experience, her cold sense of honesty and her tumultuous range of emotion into a wave of colorful ambient sound that at once complements the listener and jars them back from being in a depressing, anxious state to squarely looking at their existential crises’ threat dead in the eye.
Åberg answered some questions about her latest project the day she dropped it on 3rd June and she probably said it best when talking about her own sound so here-
On June 3 you will release your debut album This is Fine, how does it feel?
- I stay in the office after work, and feel a little special. The days before you release something are like when you are in love and going on a date. You think it should feel wonderful, you long and fantasize, but when it really gets closer, you feel like shit. But in a way you don’t want to be without.Tell us about the creative process, how did the album come about?
– This album was made against all odds. I was writing my master’s thesis and was in the middle of applying for jobs. I was completely burned in the head. I had started playing the guitar to have something in my hands instead of my mobile phone, but the guitar gave me an awful lot of ideas. It was like the music had a secret room in my brain that still worked, during a time when I was really exhausted. When all the demos were finished, we spent some long evenings in the studio, Studio Påtår, with the band. Luckily, we have very similar musical tastes and make quick decisions, otherwise this would never have happened. Some decisions were perhaps too quick, but I still don’t regret them. My band has played a huge role in finding the right sound.What are the songs about in your own words?
– My songs are about different types of relationships, to others and to myself. This record is a bit about frustration as well. I have been in a phase where I thought “now everything will be fine”, but still had a lot of setbacks. The album title is about letting go of everything and saying “you know what, this will do.” Acceptance or giving up, it depends on how you look at it. I also wrote my master’s thesis on depression memes with keyboardist Lovisa Niclasson in the band, so the album title is also a tribute to a meme dog sitting with a dead stare in a burning house with the text “this is fine”.Musically you describe your genre as desert psych gothic folk, describe how this record sounds.
- I probably just threw the words together because they sound good, because genre is so difficult to answer but something everyone asks about. But to construct retroactively, it means that the sound is hard and grinding, with its foundation in psych rock. At the same time, I want the voice to be fragile and present against the hard. And that the lyrics should be supportive, as in the folk tradition. If I find music with those ingredients, I’m always hooked.When is the best time to listen to the songs from the album?
- I think you should listen on the way home from a party. Preferably if you go for a walk. My best albums are the ones I’ve had in my headphones when I’m tired of parties and people and need air. Records that have a liberating yet melancholic feel, something I hope This Is Fine has.The album release is celebrated in Pustervik together with Johan Airijoki, tell me more about it!
- It’s going to be so much fun, I’m both terrified and very happy! I sent a message to Woody West-Kim and said something like “hello, I’m releasing a record, can I play at your place?” and on that road it is. I knew that I would prefer to have a release in Pustervik. There are seven of us in the band and on a big stage everyone gets room to move without killing each other, which feels luxurious. In addition, it is a huge privilege to be able to play in a place where you have many of your best concert memories. And so extra nice to share the stage with Johan Airijoki, of course. He is a great musician and unique lyricist.
Also, here’s an excerpt from an interview she did with hymn.se — it was conducted in Swedish, so you’re welcome.
Why music, Michaela?
- For many years I was obsessed as a listener and went to many concerts, but it was only in my 20s that I dared to approach creation. My ex needed texts and it came very naturally. I have always written a lot and I started creating lyrics and melody in my head, without instruments. My music creation started when I had developed a certain taste in music. I have always loved collecting music.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you?
- Exactly, what would you say?
Michaela thinks for a short while and then says that it’s very grinding, a little mysterious at the same time that the music is quite hard and raw. There are softer psych rock parts but it often turns into something harder.
- I often create slow builds and I want to create music that puts you in a trance. The slow, monotonous grind should be there, but also give space to melodic synth loops. The foundation is slippery, observes Michaela.
You released your first solo EP last winter and it’s one of my favorites from this year. What can you tell us about it?
It’s the first thing I do myself. I made demos for all the songs from scratch, but didn’t really have a goal with the songs. I probably mostly wanted to learn how to prod the whole image, so I sat up at night in my computer program, Michaela says with a smile.
- I had four songs and asked Hedvig and Johan (producers Hedvig Olsson and Johan Holm, my note) if they wanted to listen. They wanted to record straight away so there was a short period between first key and release. We recorded everything in two afternoons and they understood what I wanted to convey. I don’t play an instrument and create all my music on my computer. There is a constant flow of ideas.
You have previously released music through a band, but what differences do you experience releasing music under your own name?
- For me, going solo is not a strategy. I have with me several of the band members of the old SKULDPADDA, but it feels a little strange that my name is so central. I become more of a musician in that respect and I suddenly have responsibility for the sound image in a different way than before. Of course I listen to my fellow musicians, but in the end it’s my decisions. I don’t have the music theory with me, so I always have to describe that I want it to feel a certain way. Sometimes it doesn’t turn out as I intended, but it gets better.
- Now you also have to think more because in 21 years people who search for my name on Google will maybe come up with these songs, says Michaela with a laugh. It is important for me to ask a lot and give a lot of freedom. I’m not interested in the guitar loop itself, but more that it conveys the right feeling.
When you’re not doing music, you study psychology at the University of Gothenburg. Can you see that the studies have developed, or otherwise influenced, your music, artistically speaking?
- Writing has a lot to do with psychology, Michaela answers quickly. What unites us, what do we share? Maybe I’m more zooming in now. I used to write more about society and people in groups and now it’s more on an individual level. It has probably become more detailed if I write about people. The more detailed you are, the easier it is to recognize yourself.
If we stick to the psychology studies and the fact that you find performing on stage uncomfortable. Can you see that your studies can help you reduce the discomfort?
- It is very difficult to be a psychologist for yourself. You usually know what to do in theory, but can still do the opposite, says Michaela with a smile.
- I have come to the conclusion that it is not so dangerous to have the fear, but in the beginning I was obsessed with getting rid of it. It’s normal to experience stress on stage and it can feel a little scary. Tours have shown that it releases more and more over time. Perhaps you can see it as mass training with gigs.
Michaela tells with great enthusiasm and empathy and, above all, a great pride that is beautiful to share. She is relaxed, very humble and is perceived as completely lacking in prestige. All the while she highlights musicians and producers she works with.
You played live with your solo songs for the first time at Oceanen during the streaming festival “Let Live Live”. How was it?
- I was terrified. It was very scary because it was the first time with this project. The vocals take up more space here and I’ve never felt confident singing. There was no audience but seven large cameras. Everyone wore a mask. I didn’t meet any stares during the gig and it was strange premises. Normally you can see reactions in the audience, but here there was nothing. It was still much more fun than I thought, notes Michaela.
Now you are soon about to go down to Budapest in Hungary and will play at the Fekete Zaj Festival in August. What are your thoughts on that?
- It feels mostly fun. It’s liberating to play in a place where no one knows me and it will be fun to travel again. I have been to Budapest before and look forward to going there again. It will be a combination of a gig and a holiday.
Our conversation often ends up on nice side tracks with anecdotes and we listen to the same music made up of heroes like Anton Newcombe and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Tess Parks and Les Big Byrd to Tetracycline without prescription. It is so clear that Michaela loves music. She lights up when artists like these are mentioned and I find her interest in music to be very genuine.
You’ve also co-released a single and EP with a new-to-me band called End of Fun recently. I also like these songs a lot. What can you tell us about the EP and End of Fun?
– End of Fun consists largely of band members from old SKULDPADDA. We bring some of the old soundscape with synths and kraut, but remove some of the pop. It’s funnest live with kraut and subtle transitions and we really are a live band. We’ve written a lot in the rehearsal room and the starting point is that if it doesn’t work live, it shouldn’t be on the record.
End of Fun is for me a song by SKULDPADDA.
- Yes it is true. We took the name from that song to keep something of the old.
s spring you also released a single with LA PERM, a new project together with Calle Thorell. When I listen to “Let It In” I hear a completely new sound that doesn’t resemble much of what you’ve done before. How do you see it?
- It was very spontaneous. Calle wanted to learn the basics of the music program on the computer. He’s good at music so I said I’ll see if he might write a song. We went to a cabin one weekend and managed to get the song. We had a clear idea. After that, we recorded it in one day in Studio Påtår. Calle played bass and sang, I played synth and sang and Johan Holm played guitar and mixed. This song is much more synth-based and you can hear both Calle and me throughout the song.
In conclusion, what’s next?
- I will record new songs solo and with End of Fun. That’s what I know so far. Nothing is decided yet, but there are several new songs. I write all the time and often quit. There aren’t that many filters. As long as I’m happy with something, it’s just a matter of letting go. I’d rather drive than twist and turn things. It’s more fun to get it out and it’s like a diary, then it was like that and now it’s like that. You develop and it doesn’t matter if it shows.
That became the final word. We leave Fyrens Ölkafé and head out to the summer greenery in the Gatenhielmska park before parting ways. I go home again with a very warm feeling. I think of what Michaela said about people googling her name on the internet and finding her music created this year, 21 years from now. I get a little extra warm from that thought and, if the opportunity exists, I’ll try to remember to google Michaela Åberg in 21 years. While waiting to see what that answer brings, I will continue to listen to Michaela’s brilliant music.
Check out her videos on Youtube .
I realize this is my first post about a breakout artist and not a musical legend, but I’ll explain why. I believe Michaela Åberg is headed right to the top and I’m super jealous of anyone who gets to watch her perform these songs for the first time.
For someone who ‘never intended to be a solo artist’ in the first place, her skills as a composer, a songwriter and a singer, shine super-bright in this first inspired project.
How the whole world is sleeping on this album is honestly beyond me. I guess you gotta go viral on Tiktok as a musician nowadays or be on Cash Money Records or OVO or something ? Also, this makes me wonder how many genius artists I won’t discover because the algorithm will never feed them to me in the first place. That makes me quite sad honestly.
Where the fuck are you on this FACTMAGAZINE ? Huh, XLR8R? Where you at NME? You missed this UNDERTHERADAR. C’mon ! I wanna see this artist on TINY DESK!
You, dear reader, don’t have to take my word for it. Just listen to the songs and write me if you disagreed or felt I exaggerated.
In this rat race of recycled music and dumb marketing gimmicks, it was pure joy for me to discover a virtually unknown artist and come back daily to it again and again. There’s a certain joy I feel about listening to an album front to back with no skips, that just makes me feel really peaceful and content. This album is definitely one of those.
Michaela Åberg’s debut album This Is Fine is the best breakout album of 2022–23 as an eclectic, unique blend of psych rock and soulful lyricism throughout; the melodies on this album consistently hit and the feeling I got is of a person fighting through whatever they have to in order to survive life with a smile on their face.
Somehow it made me hopeful for a future with lots of good music to find.
Despite 2-Pac’s forced AI rebirth being imminent at this point.
