This month we have new music, new voices and a new layout. Keeping it Continental!
We start this month’s column with a new album from Swedish country singer, Joulin Younis. It’s unusual to hear such a classic country sound from a Swedish singer, so this made us sit up and take notice. The album, All In, is her debut, and she has an impressive way with her storytelling and songs that are clearly based on the old country axiom of ‘three chords and the truth’. The album’s title is a reflection of the decision she made to pursue her artistic dreams, saying that, “I finally decided it was time to take a real step towards the career and life I wanted, and with two small children at home, I knew I couldn’t do it half-hearted, for them and for me, I had to go all in.”
Hailing from Sweden’s High Coast area, in the North East of the country on the Gulf of Bothnia, Joulin Younis grew up a long way from Nashville, but you wouldn’t know it to listen to this assured set of songs. The first single from the album, One Night In Dallas, has been out for a while and has resulted in her being feted on Swedish TV and in the media as a unique songwriter and an artist to watch. We agree, and are particularly impressed with the second single, released this month, Autograph, which tells the story of when she and her colleague found out about each other’s secret dreams and started to plan their escape from their government jobs.
It’s a brave move to launch yourself into a career in music, regardless of where you originate from, but to pursue a career in country music from a start in Northern Sweden must add significantly to the challenge. Listening to these songs, you’d be crazy to bet against her. There’s no website, but she does have a Facebook page where she publicises her public appearances and posts information about her recordings.
By complete contrast, we have French singer, songwriter and guitarist, Tiwayo. The Parisian-born musician takes his stage name from the initials TYO, The Young Old, a nickname he picked up on his travels in the USA, and his sound is an intriguing blend of folk, blues, gospel, and a liberal helping of country soul. He has just released his third album, Outsider, a follow-up to 2023’s Desert Dream, which featured songs inspired by American Desert landscapes and which drew favourable comparisons to Springsteen’s Nebraska. This new album, produced by Grammy-winning guitarist/producer Adrián Quesada of Texan band Black Pumas, features a rawer sound that goes further into country soul and gospel territory, with guest musicians including Doyle Bramhall II, Kendra Morris, and members of the Black Pumas. Our track is the, frankly, stunning, I’ve Got To Travel Alone, and if there’s any justice, Outsider should be the album that introduces Tiwayo to a much wider audience.
He’ll be playing festival dates in France and beyond throughout June and July, and you can find more information about the artist, his recordings, and all scheduled live performances over at his website.
We also have news of an excellent new single from Icelandic singer-songwriter Árný Margrét, who seems to be going through a real purple patch at the moment. Written and recorded following a moment of quiet reflection, in solitude on a New Year’s Day, In A Dream has an ethereal, almost fragile quality that really shows off Arny’s control of that beautiful voice. Unsurprisingly, In A Dream has become a live favourite at recent shows, and it will be interesting to see how it is received on her upcoming North American shows, which will see her headlining in the region for the first time, following previous support slots to artists that include Blake Mills, John Grant, and The Crane Wives. She will head over to the Americas in July, and her appearances will take place in Chicago, Toronto and New York. Full details can be found on her website. This is a truly beautiful song, beautifully sung.
Heading to Finland, we have a new single release from blues-folk duo, Kaikuluotain, Step by Step. Kaikuluotain, from Helsinki, are Jorma “Jore” Vartiainen and Marjut Salonen, who write original material in both English and their native Finnish language, looking to blend storytelling with that Nordic sense of melancholy. Step by Step is a sentimental but optimistic song about two people who gradually find emotional closeness while still being apart. Though separated, the would-be lovers begin to share an emotional landscape, reflected in the song’s recurring metaphor of seeing the same weather. The song is a clever piece of folk-blues, with Jore’s cleanly finger-picked guitar work slightly reminiscent of the great Bert Jansch, a perfect accompaniment to Marjut’s fine voice, with a trace of jazz phrasing to her delivery, and there’s a sly ending to the song that brings a smile to your face. Step by Step was released on all the usual platforms on Friday, May 15, with a full album expected to follow later in the year, and we’ll look forward to hearing that. Kaikuluotain are a fine addition to the growing roster of impressive musical outfits emerging from the Finnish scene. If you want to know more about the band, they do have a website, but you’ll need to brush up on your Finnish!
It seems that barely a month goes by when we don’t get to mention Norwegian record label DWYBO, who are doing a great job of keeping Norway’s growing list of impressive americana musicians in the public spotlight. This month, they share news that they have signed roots rockers The Impossible Green to the Die With Your Boots On family. The four-piece band formed back in 2018 in the city of Trondheim and, to date, have released three albums, having previously been on the Westergaard label, but the signing to DWYBO marks a step up for a band known for their hard work on the gigging circuit in Norway. The band’s first single for their new label is Farewell America, an ambivalent goodbye to the country that has inspired most of their music! It’s a timely release and reflective of the growing mood in Europe, as the continent looks towards a future with less reliance on their long-term ally.
The band have a busy summer coming up and will be appearing at a number of festivals throughout the Nordic region, including supporting ZZ Top in Trondheim on June 28. You can follow the band on their Facebook page.
Also from DWYBO, we have news of a team-up from two of Norway’s best-known americana artists, The Northern Belle and Embla and the Karidotters. Burn MF is a duet and a fierce takedown of “useless boys”. Frontwoman and singer-songwriter Stine Andreassen has collaborated closely with producer and songwriter Preben Sælid Andersen on a new batch of songs. Studio musicians are top players from the likes of Darling West, Orions Belte, and Astrid S. Both artists have been mentioned on AUK pages a number of times, and this is an intriguing combination. Burn MF won’t be released until June 5, and we don’t have a shareable version of this recording at this point, but you can listen to this and other DWYBO artists via the label’s Bandcamp page.
And that’s it for this month’s column. We’ll be back at the end of June with the next helping of Vox Continental and, hopefully, we can find some more musical gems from the wider world of European americana to grab your attention. In the meantime, please remember – 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.
