Olof Dreijer, once half of the Swedish synth-pop duo the Knife, has signed to Dirty Hit to release his long-awaited debut so album. Loud Bloom arrives May 8 via the label’s electronic imprint, DH2. The LP’s tracklist includes six previously released songs from the last three years—“Rosa Rugosa,” “Cassia,” “Coral,” “Acuyuye,” “Blood Lily,” and “Iris”—as well as a reworked version of “Camelia” from Dreijer’s 2023 Rosa Rugosa EP. Check it out below—and listen to the new single “Echoed Dafino,” which features Sudanese singer Maman.
“I was so moved the first time I heard the original version of ‘Dafnino,’” Dreijer said of the single in a press statement. “Maman’s voice is so beautiful. I wanted to make it work in my DJ sets, so I made my own version that I felt became more than just a remix so I thought it could be nice to include it on the album. The additional vocals he recorded made it feel very special too.”
Olof Dreijer produced four tracks on Radical Romantics, the latest album by his sibling Karin Dreijer under their Fever Ray alias: “What They Call Us,” “Shiver,” “New Utensils,” and “Kandy.” That same year, he teamed up with Mt. Sims for a record of steel drum music.
Read about “Coral” at No. 42 in The 100 Best Songs of 2024.
Loud Bloom:
01 Rosa Rugosa
02 Plastic Camelia
03 Cassia
04 Acuyuye [ft. Diva Cruz]
05 Makwande [ft. Toya Delazy]
06 Blood Lily
07 Iris
08 Echoed Dafino [ft. Maman]
09 Laurel
10 Verbena
11 Coral
12 Fern Valley
13 Lantana
14 Shisandra
