Swedish Singer Albin Lee Meldau Releases Third Studio LP Discomforts

by | Sep 28, 2024

Albin Lee Meldau has released Discomforts, his first English language album in more than six years. It positions him as an intriguing artist proposition. On one hand he’s a regular Top 10 chart fixture and an arena-filling artist across the Nordic countries. Yet in the UK he’s a rising star, his profile growing with each release assisted by regular Radio 2 playlists and mounting acclaim. Just as importantly, Discomforts simmers with such a wealth of inspiration that it feels like a debut.

Albin Lee Meldau

Albin Lee Meldau (Press)
Albin Lee Meldau (Press)

What if you let all of your flaws shine through, unafraid of the judgement that might follow? On Albin Lee Meldau’s breathtaking new album, he bares his soul to thrilling effect, regaling listeners with tales of mistakes made and lessons learned. It’s a tremendous marriage of all of his major influences, from soul to reggae, blues to alt-rock, bound together by his unmistakable voice.

These songs are chapters in his life so far, revisiting his wilder, more troubled years and reflecting on how fortunate he is to still be alive. And that’s no exaggeration. The first time around, Meldau became a hot tip, making major inroads into the US and recording a memorable NPR session. But behind the scenes, his foundations were crumbling. Drug addiction and alcoholism was wrecking his career, his relationships and his friendships. Eventually he had to make a stark decision: clean up or succumb altogether. Coming out the other side, he started his career almost from scratch, writing this new album and recording alongside the GRAMMY® / Ivor Novello-winner Eg White (Adele, Florence + The Machine). As such, Discomforts is a second chapter of a story that almost ended with its first.

The 36-year-old says, “It’s about love, and addiction. All the different styles, they’re just like colours in a palette, different ingredients to help form a complete landscape. I’m just very proud of this record. It’s been one hell of a rollercoaster, making it over four or five years. Not many people get that chance.”

The new focus track If You Ever Change Your Mind is the devastating heart of the album. Meldau returns to the darkest point of his story with a song that finds him at his most vulnerable, all while delivering one of his finest and most emotionally fraught vocal performances to date. As he acknowledges, “It’s dark. It’s a bloody dark song about a friend, a lot of friends. Most of us didn’t make it.” Watch the live video below:

If I Ever Change Your Mind joins a host of Albin’s recent singles on the album, including Now You’re Here, Forget About Us, a new English version of his smash hit Josephine featuring Lissie, and a collaboration with Jack Savoretti on Hold Your Head Up.

Its brand new material is similarly essential, giving bright sonic hues to an evocation of faded memories on Loss; Discomforts explores how to experience sobriety for the first time to a Sunday morning haze of laidback soul; there’s an almost dubby, dancehall feel to Girlfriend and ska-tinged rhythms on Mainly Disappointed; while User Lost hits that first pre-redemption realisation that it’s time to make a change. And ultimately, Discomforts is a triumph of facing your demons, starting again, and re-emerging better than ever before.

Albin Lee Meldau’s Discomforts tour visits Germany, Denmark and Norway before playing seven huge arena shows in Sweden.

Lissie Carves Canyons At Koko

Pistol Daisys (Matthew Pearson)

Pistol Daisys Embrace The Sweet & Sinister On New Single ‘Honey’ Ahead Of Debut EP And European Tour

Rising Glasgow-based trio Pistol Daisys have returned with their most seductive and sonically ambitious release yet,...
The Sons Of Guns (Cléa Margaret)

The Sons Of Guns Return With Summery New Single ‘I Got It Right’ – A Retro-Tinted Celebration Of Love

Following the success of their debut EP You Shine The Sun, genre-blending five-piece The Sons Of Guns are back with I Got It Right, a radiant new single soaked in sunny ‘70s charm and lyrical optimism. It’s the first taste of new music since the EP’s release, which saw the band earn praise from the likes of BBC Radio London’s Gary Crowley and Eagles Of Death Metal frontmanJesse Hughes, not to mention a career highlight performance at industry showcase Musexpo.

Will Linley (Press)

Will Linley Announces Debut Album ‘Don’t Cry Because It’s Over’ With Reflective New Single ‘First Love’

22-year-old South African alt-pop artist Will Linley has announced the release of his hotly anticipated debut album...
Fatboy Slim @ Latitude Festival 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Latitude Festival 2025 Day Two: Fatboy Slim Flares, Clean Bandit Soar & Leon Bridges Smoulders In The Suffolk Twilight

After Friday’s bask in Suffolk sunshine, Saturday arrived with a greyer palette. The weather quickly turned moody,...
Snooper (Blaire Beamer)

Snooper Announce Bold New Album ‘Worldwide’ And Share Genre-Blending Title Track

Nashville’s chaotic punk experimentalists Snooper have announced their second album Worldwide, due for release on 3rd October via Third Man Records. Alongside the announcement, the band have unveiled its lead single and title track — a dizzying, genre-warping evolution of their no-holds-barred sound that signals a bold new era.

Wednesday 13 @ The Asylum, Birmingham (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Middle Fingers And Murderdolls: Wednesday 13 Haunt The Asylum

On a humid July evening in Birmingham, a city still reeling from the recent loss of its heavy metal godfather Ozzy...
Fearless Vampire Killers @ The Asylum, Birmingham (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Fearless Vampire Killers Walk The Line In Ozzy’s Town At The Asylum

Taking to the stage at Birmingham’s Asylum on 26th July, Fearless Vampire Killers delivered a high-energy, theatrical...
The Nocturnal Affair @ The Asylum, Birmingham (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

The Nocturnal Affair Light Up The Asylum, Birmingham Supporting Fearless Vampire Killers & Wednesday 13

There’s something beautifully ironic about a band named The Nocturnal Affair igniting a venue like Birmingham’s Asylum before the sun has even fully set. On a night where gothic grandeur met sweltering heat, the Las Vegas dark rock outfit delivered a set that was as emotionally rich as it was musically explosive, proving themselves more than worthy support for Fearless Vampire Killers and the master of macabre himself, Wednesday 13.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing