Today, Becky and the Birds, the moniker of Swedish songwriter and producer Thea Gustafsson, returns with the release of new single and video ‘When She Holds Me’. The new track is a first look at new material from Becky and the Birds and points towards a debut 4AD album due to arrive later this year.
+ Stream ‘When She Holds Me’ on all digital platforms here +
Finding inspiration in the early work of Bon Iver, the ‘For Emma’ intimacy blossoms into lush harmonies and atmospheric soundscapes; the rich instrumentation references previous collaborators Dijon and Lapsley via soft-spoken harmonies and plucked strings. As described by Pitchfork, the sonic world she creates is propelled forward by “a singular, cosmopolitan pop mood that’s at once stylish and vulnerable.”
As Gustafsson described of the track: “I wrote this song to the first girl I fell in love with. Everything about her reminded me of summer, and this song is her anthem. And an anthem and ode to all women and their ethereal beauty and love.”
The single is accompanied by a video created by Tiffi Malmgren, Simone Beyene (Nothing Yet) and Morris Malmgren (Push Visuals). The visual reflects the soft, layered complexities of Becky and the Birds’ sound and the warmth with which Gustafsson opens her heart to a relationship in the song.
