Scan Magazine
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Culture
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Columns
Best new Scandi music in January Norwegian artist Maud is out with a euphoric new synthpop stunner to get excited about and lost inside of. Let Me Feel It is the name of the latest single; a song about knowing your own worth. And quite impressively, it was written, recorded, produced and released by the lady herself. Now there’s someone who should have no problem knowing their worth right now! Icelandic music legend Björk has paired up with Spanish superstar Rosalía for a special release – new single and video Oral. The song is a 25-year-old recording by Björk, who invited Rosalía to come on board and breathe new life into it as a guest. Given that it’s a song that Björk wrote in the late ’90s, it easily slots into being classified as classic Björk at her very best! All profits from the release will go towards the prevention of open net-pen fish farming in Iceland.
By Karl Batterbee
Norwegian artist Aurora has caught my attention good and proper with her latest release. New single Your Blood finds the internationally successful singer and songwriter wander uncharacteristically far into the pop fold, leaving a lot of her trademark alternative tendencies at the door. A straight-up radio smash, it has a timeless feel to it and is instantly endearing as it jolts between tempos and tones. Norwegian producer Alan Walker is out with a hot new track, in collaboration with the artist Daya. Heart Over Mind is part of his latest album Walkerworld, which came out in November. Veering perhaps the furthest he ever has from his dance-music arena, Heart Over Mind sounds more like the lead-single off a new album by one of your fave pop girls – and a major one, at that! Influenced by the synth sounds of the ’80s, but crafted with us
pop fans who appreciate a catchy melody in mind, it’s a listen that instantly resonates. www.scandipop.co.uk
Monthly Illustration By Maria Smedstad
Bedroom talk British and Scandinavian people have a lot in common. One place where we sometimes differ is in the bedroom. What goes on between the sheets in our respective countries is a topic of much heated debate. I don’t know why, but It’s taken me sixteen years to insist on doing things the Scandinavian way with my British husband. When I finally requested this change, my suggestion was met with reluctance and scepticism. ‘It’s not right’, he objected, ‘It’s not normal!’ and ‘It’s just not British!’ But finally, he relented, and I immediately purchased the controversial items I felt we needed. I’m talking about TWO separate duvets instead of a shared one, of course! “I guess I should be grateful it’s still just one bed instead of two,” my husband grumbled. Because yes - this is how many Scandinavians live. They don’t see the point of suffering sleepless nights tangled with their partners when, instead, they can 94
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Issue 162
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January 2024
few weeks of not sharing a duvet, my husband now reluctantly agrees that it makes for a better night’s sleep. My friends and family in Sweden are delighted. “What’s next,” they muse, excitedly, “having your water pipes inside the house, instead of on the outside?!” I smile at this, aware that indoor plumbing is, and likely always will be, just one step too far.
enjoy the cool, undisturbed comfort that comes with having separate beds. Or, in our case, that comes with separate duvets. It makes Scandi sense, like cheese slicers, doors that open outwards, extra-long shoehorns, and queue-less queuing (although I have my opinions on this). After a
Maria Smedstad moved to the UK from Sweden in 1994. She received a degree in Illustration in 2001, before settling in the capital as a freelance cartoonist, creating the autobiographical cartoon Em. Maria writes a column on the trials and tribulations of life as a Swede in the UK.