Winhill/Losehill

Swedish pop-band Winhill/Losehill debuted in 2012 with the critically acclaimed 19-track double album Swing of Sorrow. Composer and singer Jonas Svennem had lost his mother to cancer a few years earlier, and writing songs became a way of channeling the grief and expressing the full range of conflicting emotions: sadness, despair, love and hope. Over a three-year period Svennem, together with drummer and co-producer Henrik Nybom and lyricist Carl Åkerlund, set out for an ambitious and thorough work that shaped the timeless and unique sound of the sextet, with black-edged, inspirited and personal lyrics, richly layered organic arrangements and a spacious lustre of sounds and soulful melodies.
Swing of Sorrow was hailed unanimously by the Swedish press on its release. DN:s Niklas Wahllöf gave the album 5/5 and wrote in a raving review: "It's awfully good. A stunning debut." Kristin Lundell gave the album 5/6 in SvD: "Swing of Sorrow is a rare and beautiful depiction of that which is the strongest of all, but at the same time so fragile that it can be lost in a second."
The band toured the album extensively, playing club settings as well as some of Sweden’s finest venues. They performed twice at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm: a sold-out main stage together with a small brass and string orchestra, and an intimate gig at Lejonkulan for less than 100 people in the audience. GAFFA gave the former honors and called it “an out of body, almost religiously grand experience.” Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra invited them to perform together in concert series Popical, and the acclaimed Hans Ek conducted them in a unique collaboration with NorrlandsOperan Symphony Orchestra.
These orchestral collaborations had great impact on the sounds and arrangements on the 2015 follow-up album Trouble Will Snowball, produced by Jonas Svennem and Henrik Nybom. The new album covered a broader variety of themes, with a cinematic drama to both music and lyrics. “There’s no doubt this is one of the best bands in Sweden” wrote Po Tidholm in DN, while GAFFA stated that “Winhill/Losehill takes an insane height and completes the jump flawlessly.”
The Grief is the band’s third album: 12 vigorous and heartfelt songs charged with melodies that seem torn from the fabric of the sky. The songwriting duo Jonas Svennem (composer) and Carl Åkerlund (lyricist) has written a spirited set of songs sure of their aim, dealing with dreams, regrets and getting through life and its setbacks without wanting to give up. Certain themes from the debut Swing of Sorrow are also reappraised here: the son who lost his mother has now himself become a father, and the grief has turned a lighter shade. With its lustre arrangements, electrifying instrumental performances and rousing rhythm section, The Grief is suffused with exquisite sounds that brings to mind Bon Iver, Arcade Fire or Rufus Wainwright, and warm acoustics reminiscent of The Band and Nina Simone. Mixed by Måns Lundberg (Ariel Pink, Shout Out Louds, Amason) and featuring Ji Nilsson (Pure Shores) on backing vocals, as well as in a heated duet with Jonas Svennem.

The Grief is released worldwide on June 17th, 2022.