Cool Music from the North for Hot Summer Days

When it gets too hot outside, one way to mentally cool down is to look at the weather report of northern countries and imagine being there. For example, while we are roasting here in New York City at 95˚F, in Reykjavík, Iceland, the temperatures barely touch the 60s.

And since Northern Europe is full of uber-talented musicians, why not turn this into a sonic experience? To get started, here are four electronic solo acts from the North that I have been obsessed with.

gugusar from Iceland likes producing music and dancing but not so much singing, so she started with instrumentals. But fortunately, she changed her stance because she has not only an appealing voice but also masters vocal processing in an elegant way. Her latest album 12:48 is irresistible: full of danceable, catchy pop songs with many surprising turns. There is so much going on musically that you don’t mind if you cannot understand the Icelandic lyrics.

Ellen Sunde, aka Sea Change, is from Oslo, Norway. Her latest album, Mutual Dreaming, came out in the winter of 2022 and captures the pandemic feel in eerie electronic soundscapes. But go seven years back and listen to her 2015 debut Breakage, a perfect blend of pop sensibilities and cutting-edge electronics. This album is one of my all-time favorites and my go-to if I want to be elevated by good music.

Also from Oslo hails Silje Espevik, aka Yndling. Her 2022 debut album Yndling (Deluxe), is full of friendly, beautiful, ethereal dream pop, which combines northern melodic crispiness with the laidback atmosphere of a lazy afternoon at a lake. This music is a vacation for the ears.

And when you want to up the heat again, the music of Finnish producer Detalji is just right. While she is serious about danceable house beats for a hot night at the club, her music also works as high-energy pop for any occasion. Put her 2023 debut Truly on when you want to get the summer party started.

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The LA singer, songwriter, and producer Elana Carrol aka Party Nails, is all about love in her new song “Someway, Somehow.” She might think about someone special, but she wants the message to be universal: “It’s about the complete, full, forever love you feel for your partner, your parent, your child, your friend, humanity,” she says.

Varrick and Ed Zed make music as a couple in New York under the name Strange Flesh. Their new neon-lit electronic pop song “Very” is an homage to an alternate urban lifestyle: “beloved but ill-paying employment, discount decadence, no children, and a healthy disregard for the future.”

Next up, another duo that takes New Wave cues: Andrew Clinco and Alex Nicolaou, aka Deb DeMure, and Mona D, aka Drab Majesty. “The Skin and The Glove” lays down a wall of guitar sounds that take your imagination in different directions. They also did a cool video filmed with a Super-8 camera.

Somehow multi-talented artist Sarah Tudzin found time to work on her solo project, illuminati hotties, while co-producing the latest album of supergroup boygenius. Although things seem to be a bit tight for her: According to the press release, her third album is “imminent,” but the date and title are still TBD. The first single, “Truck,” a delightful indie rock piece, is out now.

The next track is called “The Model,” and it is hard for me not to hear the melody of Kraftwerk’s 1978 hit in my mind. But Charlie Tophill, aka Bar Pandora hands us a very different but similar beautiful piece of synth-pop. Her song comes with sound advice: “I don’t think you should ignore or deny bad experiences, but you shouldn’t model your whole identity around them either,” she says.

In “Self Sabotage,” the LA pop singer/songwriter Kacey Fifield takes her friend’s unlucky love story, turns it around, and tries to see it from the other side. “Some of the lines are a bit sardonic, but overall it touches on accountability and acknowledging that all of us have made mistakes that ended up sabotaging our relationships,” she explains.

Australian Artist Ella Mosley writes and produces music under the name Hubcaps. Her new song “Beside(s) Me” is the title track of her upcoming debut album and reflects on feelings of melancholy. But there are some strains of relief and hope woven into the song. “I wrote it to provide relief to such feelings, singing my heart out when emotions became too overwhelming,” Ella says.

Also Happening

Twitter is now X and wants to be everything. Until we have a better idea of what “everything” means, we suspended our activity on X. Since you are reading this, you already know how you can keep up with our Song Picks of the Day.

Nine Photos Showcasing The Moon

With a full moon approaching tomorrow and a blue moon happening on August 3o, we wanted to feature our only natural satellite.