There’s something quite nostalgic in ‘En variant av himlen’, something that hints at new wave-flavoured pop and late nineties grittiness, yet with a decent amount of icy darkwave in it. Using a bold and punchy matrix of guitars and synthetisers, the record offers eight vibrant and uplifting episodes, divided into side A and side B. Alongside the aforementioned new wave influences, we also find more melodic, pop-leaning material and a keen use of electric keyboard and acoustic drums. It’s a fine balance between organic and electronic, one that works very well in such a context.
Aptly titled ‘En variant av himlen’ (‘A version of heaven’), the record marks the latest extensive offering by Swedish troubadour and musician Urban Hane. A former member of new wave acts Disharmonikerna (1991-1996, 2018 -) and POST (1996-2010), the talented Swede enjoys playing guitar, writing songs, and even fiddling with drum machines and synthetisers. His current solo project started in 2019, and since then, Urban Hane has bloomed into a solid reality.
Urban Hane is rather adamant about the complex lyrical layers that inform the record. As he poetically explains: “It deals with a world that’s both romantic and cynical, where nothing lasts and yet it’s filled with timeless moments, it’s electronic and organic, abstract and concrete. It wants both to describe and to understand how it seems so hard to avoid hurting each other or ourselves, despite the best of intentions and that we all seem to crave almost exactly the same things.”
Recommended! Discover ‘En variant av himlen’ now: