Northern Europe continues to dominate the alternative pop scene, whether it’s the retro, lo-fi mourning of Norwegian Jakob Ogawa, the catchy, beat-led hooks of Dane School of X or the sensitive indie electronica of Swedish artist The Land Below, aka Erik Lindestad. The Malmö resident was previously one-half of Stockholm-based project Wild At Heart, but since striking out on his own, this artist has found a footing with futuristic synth-wave production that have earnest pop song structures at its heart. With several well received singles via home country label Hybris and even credited with soundtracking Saga Becker and Christofer Nilsson’s film/documentary Fuckgirls, which debuted at the Gothenburg Film Festival, it’s seems ever more likely that The Land Below is on the verge of breaking. New single ‘Soften The Blow’, is a real mixed bag of sounds - there are minimalist electronic beats, techno progressions, space-age analogue synths, and Lindestad’s authentic pop (and at times ghostly) vocal. ‘Soften The Blow’ is chillingly austere and lustful. Completely irresistible and well worth repeated listening. - HT