This month’s all about new music, with new singles from Sweden and Denmark and new albums from Norway and Finland. Plus, a French duo taking their music to the USA.
We kick off this month’s offerings with news that, hot on the heels of the recently released 3614 Jackson Highway, which earned high praise and an 8/10 review from our own Fred Arnold (you can read Fred’s review here), rising Swedish americana artist Jesper Lindell has released his cover of Otis Clay’s Tryin’ To Live My Life Without You as a taster for his next album, Royal, scheduled for release in late June on Yep Roc Records. The song is a duet with the outstanding Canadian musician and actress Frazey Ford and is an impressive new reading of the old soul classic, that has been covered by many artists, including Bob Seger and John Farnham, among others.
Lindell is emerging as an excellent country soul singer and has recently (2024) undertaken a pilgrimage to two of the great studios responsible for the music he loves: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama and Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, recording two albums’ worth of material in the time spent there. The first album was the 3614 Jackson Highway, the second, which celebrates the rich musical history of Memphis, is Royal, and this new single was the first track recorded for the album. Lindell has said of the song, “I’ve always had a deep appreciation for that song, as well as for the classic Royal Studio recordings Willie Mitchell produced with the artists at Hi Records. I had watched Frazey Ford’s ‘September Fields’ video many times. The song and film were recorded at Royal Studios during her Indian Ocean sessions. As Frazey rarely releases new music or takes part in collaborations, I initially assumed it would be impossible to involve her. However, when Björn mentioned that he works with and knows Frazey and her team, I decided to take a chance and reach out. After some time, she said yes, and her contribution brings a truly distinctive character and an effortless sense of cool to the track.” We agree completely and are happy to share this track with you, while looking forward to the arrival of Royal in a couple of months’ time.
We also have news of a new single from Danish singer-songwriter Carsten Bojsen. Proving that it’s never too late to start something new, this musician made his solo recording debut last year, at the age of 65, with his first EP, Oestbirk, released in Spring 2025. This new single, Nomad, released earlier this month, is the precursor to his new EP, Ruin Beauty, which will drop on May 15th. The song was inspired by Chloé Zhao’s powerful film, Nomadland, and is a study in the determination to go on, despite doubt and isolation. It was recorded in a single take, live in the studio.
Though relatively new to recording under his own name, Bojsen has been active as a musician since the mid-1980s and has recorded and toured with various artists, including Giant Sand. Nomad is a quiet, reflective song, well delivered in Bojsen’s very listenable light tenor voice and beautifully supported by some excellent pedal steel work from Michael Lund. Unfortunately, we don’t have a shareable version of Nomad, but we do have his previous single release, I Have Seen The Light, and it’s an equally good indicator of the fine music this artist is making. We think Carsten Bojsen is one to watch out for. You can follow him via his Facebook page.
French Roots Rockers, and organic farmers (we kid you not!), The Inspector Cluzo, who last year were seen opening for Neil Young on a number of gigs on his European tour, are launching their own major U.S offensive this year with their Less Is More Part 2 tour, in support of current album, Less Is More. They start out in France with dates in May, June & July, before heading across the pond for a mammoth set of dates across the USA, and up into Canada, throughout the months of September and October, before returning to France for an additional 13 gigs that will take them to the end of the year. You can see all their tour dates and read about their fascinating farming activities, as well as their long history as a band, on their website. We thought about featuring the band’s excellent version of David Crosby’s great Almost Cut My Hair, which features on the current album, but instead opted for the closing track and one of their own compositions, the almost hypnotic Journey Men.
In sharp contrast to the music of The Inspector Cluzo, we have the new album from Norwegian singer-songwriter Juni Habel. Evergreen In Your Mind is Habel’s third album and her first release for three years, following on from 2023’s Carvings, considered to be her breakthrough album. This artist has a wonderfully delicate touch and is slightly reminiscent of Nick Drake or Joni Mitchell in her earlier recordings, with her songs seeming to wrap themselves around you and almost drift into your awareness. She herself describes the album taking place, “within a dream; an imagined place in which desire for oneness with each other and the world around us is finally realised“. Habel is backed on the album by regular collaborator Stian Skaaden, who also co-produced the recordings with Juni herself. Additional musicians include Aksel Undset and Emil Nøjgaard Petersen, guitars on Another High, Herman Wildhagen – pedal steel on Pearl Cloud Song, and Martin Morland – double bass on I Lay My Trust.
This is a beautiful album and well worth your attention. You can find more information about this album and the artist herself on Juni Habel’s Bandcamp page.
Jack’s Basket Room. Photo, Ranta Best. Helsinki-based Jack’s Basket Room were a big hit when we featured them in our Continental Shift article on Finland, back in 2024, with their music that combined alt-country, blues, folk and rock with a modern Nordic approach. Now we can bring you news of their new album, Yellow Moon, that will be released next month. The band has co-produced the new album themselves, working with Espe Haverinen, from Finnish Indie rockers, 22-Pistepirkko.
The 5-piece band’s music is characterised by being quite muscular, often driven by a distinctive drum sound and a solid bass groove, but they manage to make their songs sound powerful without being cluttered or overplayed. They have that distinctly dark feel that northern European artists often bring to American roots music, and they are always fascinating to listen to. They also have the very distinctive vocal work of lead singer, Minna Kilpinen, who really helps to give the band a powerful presence and a very singular identity. This new album seems likely to establish them as one of the best Nordic bands playing this music, following on from the previous album, Wrong Turn, which attracted a lot of radio interest. Most of the new album is written by the band themselves, but they’re also a dab hand at taking other artists’ compositions and putting their own spin on them, like our featured track. Their take on the Sonny Bono classic Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), a long-time firm favourite with fans, this is the first time it has been released on one of their albums.
Yellow Moon will be released on Bluelight Records on May 8th, and you can find out more about the band on their website.
That’s it for this month. The column will be back on May 28th with more news and music from the other side of La Manche.
As always, if you are an americana-influenced artist operating out of mainland Europe and have new music or a tour to promote, let me know. Contact information is on the webzine page under ‘Info’. This column is published on the last Thursday of every month throughout the year.
