Sweeter Than Sorrow – somersaults (2023)
The solo project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mattias Wåhlberg, Sweeter Than Sorrow shares an intimate, vulnerable and genre-defying sound with the world. Founded in 2021, this Swedish artist connects with individuals on a deeper, more intense level. With a message of affirmation needed to be heard by everyone, Sweeter Than Sorrow invites us “to cultivate love in yourself, nurture it daily. Make your chest soften from the inside and out. Be there. It’s worth it a thousand times.” He further shared in an interview with Illustrate Magazine that “my music has the potential to touch more people all over the world and that is one of my goals…” The latest addition to his discography is ‘somersaults’.
Following his single ‘Into the night’, ‘somersaults’ is Sweeter Than Sorrow’s first single of 2023. Retaining the whimsical, wistful ambience we hear in ‘Into the night’, ‘somersaults’ wraps you in an ethereal sonic haze. Yet, while Sweeter Than Sorrow seems to have developed a signature sound, ‘somersaults’ brings another element to the music.
A collaborative project with multi-instrumentalist Jonas Franke-Blom and producer M- Barck Sigvardsson, the single is a soothing ballad with hints of melancholy sprinkled across the tune. Combining an eclectic range of instruments, ‘somersaults’ brings together the guitar and piano in a harmonic melody. Interestingly enough, while there is a pop vibe to the tune it has an orchestral flow incorporating strings and percussion within the piano-driven ballad. Embraced in a hazy swirl of sound, you feel warmth from ‘somersaults’; however, the delicate flood of classical music adds a slight haunting to the tune.
While the melody can hold its own with the warm but weary arrangement, ‘somersaults’ is actually an intricate message of hope. Penned during a turbulent time in Wåhlberg’s life, ‘somersaults’ is a dream drifting toward a distant shore where our hopes reside. Wåhlberg explains that “…for me, it’s like trying to come home to myself…. honest, beautiful, heartfelt. It’s a therapeutic project in that respect…bringing forth the vulnerability that’s always been in me.”
For more from Sweeter Than Sorrow, check out his Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
