Olle Borelius’ Releases Third Single, The Understated But Sublime ‘Body of Mine’

Sweden has a proud and varied musical history, with artists from the Scandinavian country going on to be world beaters. In recent years we’ve seen Robyn with her electro-pop, Avicii with his EDM bangers and most recently of all Zara Larsson and her chart-topping ‘Lush Life’. Yet one thing that cannot be levelled at those artists, as great as they were and still are, is their knack for subtlety. 

Even Sweden’s most famous sons and daughters in ABBA, were just as well known for their outrageous outfits as they were for their uber-cheesy sing-along classics. Yet, with every new generation comes new ideals, and no one sums that up better than Olle Borelius on his third single to date, the abstruse and elusive ‘Body of Mine’. 

With an ethereal opening soon interrupted by soft drum and bass beats and otherworldly techno riffs, Borelius makes it clear from the start that this is no throwaway pop song. The arpeggio of the synths combined with the rolling beat give the song a steady feel, whilst the vocal performance is one of eery beauty as the Malmo native uses his falsetto vocals over a crescendo of notes and sounds in the chorus.  

As reverberating electric guitars give the song a new dimension, Borelius’ haunting voice adds even more weight to the track. “And I don’t remember what it was like to love myself” he bemoans in a painfully strained manner as the driving bass notes refuse to allow the song to fall in danger of wallowing in its own self-pity. 

As ‘Body of Mine’ draws to an end the track descends into something akin to what The 1975 released off their fourth album ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’, as the beat becomes more frantic and a cacophony of distance and haywire vocals join the singer. It’s another surprising turn from the Swede but one that cements him as an artist unafraid to take risks. Let’s just hope he maintains that unpredictability as his career develops.  

James Ogden 

Image: ‘Body of Mine’ Official Single Cover