Albin Lee Meldau

What if you let all of your flaws shine through, unafraid of the judgement that might follow? On Albin Lee Meldau's breathtaking new album, he bares his soul to thrilling effect, regaling listeners with tales of mistakes made and lessons learned. 

Discomforts, Meldau's first studio album since his critically adored Swedish-language LP På svenska, is a tremendous marriage of all of his major influences, from soul to reggae, blues to alt-rock, bound together by his unmistakable voice. Lyrically, he's never sounded so liberated. These songs are chapters in his life so far, revisiting his wilder, more troubled years and reflecting on how fortunate he is to still be alive. 

Take the uplifting track "Hold Your Head Up," a collaboration with chart-topping British star Jack Savoretti. It's the perfect pairing: Savoretti's trademark bright, husky vocals work perfectly alongside Meldau's gritty rasp. The duo premiered the song at Meldau's headline show at the 20,000-capacity Gröna Lund in Stockholm, when he brought out Savoretti as a surprise guest. 

"It's about love, and addiction," Meldau explains of the album. "All the different styles… they're just like colours in a palette, different ingredients to help form a complete landscape." To achieve this, the Gothenburg-based artist enlisted the talents of renowned British musician and producer Eg White (Adele, Duffy, Celine Dion) — together they crafted the album's gorgeous textures, and pushed Meldau further than he'd ever gone before.  

"Eg said something beautiful to me the other day, which is that I'm brave because I'm not afraid of sounding 'bad,'" Meldau says with a grin. "He pushed me into those uncomfortable spaces, notes I couldn't reach every time. You have to be brave, and risk sounding shit, in order to hit something really beautiful. People are very scared of not being perfect."

Meldau is all too aware of what it means to not be "perfect." The oldest son of divorced parents, he was raised in a tumultuous environment, shuttled between homes every other weekend and struggling to focus on the choir or trumpet lessons his mother — a professional jazz singer — urged him to pursue. "I loved to play Louis Armstrong, that kind of thing, but I didn't like the classical stuff," he says. "I was unruly. I did as little as possible!"

A self-described "restless, distracted" kid, Meldau began playing in rock bands when he was 14, covering songs by Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and System of a Down (even if he secretly preferred Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye). Not long after this, he fell into a drugs scene and became an addict, continuing to battle substance abuse well into his twenties. He was fired from his first proper band, The Magnolia, after getting into fights and appearing drunk onstage: "I was annoyed by that, and decided to become a world-famous solo singer.:

He came close, emerging as one of the breakout stars of SXSW festival in Texas in 2017 and being snapped up for one of NPR's coveted Tiny Desk slots, following the release of his two EPs, Lovers and Bloodshot. Producer Robin Hilton marvelled at his "breathtaking, soulful, thunderous" voice, noting how Meldau seemed "possessed" by the music he was performing. "The words and melodies seem to take hold of him while at the same time offering a release, if only for a moment, from the knot of emotions he's carrying inside," he wrote. 

One of his early songs, "Lou Lou," captured attention in Meldau's home country for its dark, rousing sound. His voice trembles and wavers, as though Meldau is close to collapse: "Takes two to come undone/ Started off like a bit of fun/ But I'm still wasting here with you Lou Lou." He found himself signed to a record deal in the States ("I thought I was the shit"), and travelling around doing co-writes with other artists and writers. "But I wasn't sober," he explains. "I was still very sick — I wasn't ready for what was to come. So thank god it failed, in a way, because I probably would have died."

His label told him to go to rehab or have his contract ripped up. "I was very skint, so I agreed to the rehab," he says. Five years later, he's still sober: "It suddenly dropped on me. A whole new life started."

Meldau started to experience real success. His 2021 single "Josefin," from his Swedish Grammy-nominated EP Epistlar, was a revelation: tender acoustic guitar-picking and Meldau's warm, rich voice singing with fond recollection of a woman who came into his life like a thunderbolt, then disappeared just as quickly. "Epistlar was totally different to anything I'd done before," he says of his breakthrough EP. It propelled him into brand new territory; Meldau was no longer a newcomer. He was a household name. 

Huge tours followed, with sold-out arena shows across Scandinavia including the Avicii Arena in Stockholm. "Josefin" is now certified x6 platinum in Sweden and x1 platinum in Norway, hitting the top 10 in both countries and receiving airplay across countries from Germany to the UK. He supported avant-garde pop star Jessie Ware on her tour of the US, and was recently awarded a prestigious "Music Moves Europe Talent Award" — the European Union prize that celebrates artists who represent the sound of the future. 

Meldau began writing Discomforts around 2020, paying for recording sessions himself while trying to get a label onboard. "I'm so grateful to Eg for wanting to be involved," he says of his producer and co-writer. They worked together through the pandemic, with Meldau flying over to London every time restrictions were lifted. 

It opens on "Loss," an evocation of faded memories, morning light through the curtains, dust motes dancing in the air. Meldau's voice is weary, reaching into the past, "Wondering if you're coming back again." The instrumentation flares like a sudden break of dawn on the horizon — the swoops and falls of strings, bright chimes — overwhelming everything in its path. "Show Me" is an urgent blast of soul, putting Meldau's irresistible charisma to best use with infectious rhythms and a triumphant brass section. It's one of four songs mixed and co-produced by Nick Lobel, whose most recent credits include two Grammy-winning albums: Harry's House, by Harry Styles, and Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus.

He's at his self-eviscerating best on "Elvis, I Love You." Touching on themes of ambition, delusion and mental health, Meldau about a man realising he's a failure, despite attempting to "make it" by any means necessary. "Given up on changing from within," he sings. "Suicidal but at least I'm thin." On "Mainly Disappointed," he conjures up Shepherd's Bush market as he wanders bustling streets to a reggae rhythm; "When You're Here" is wistful, languorous, loaded with regret.  An English-language version of "Josephine" has transcended to become a slice of Ameriana-influenced folk, with lush steel guitars and subtle harmonies.  

Then there's the devastating heart of the album, "If You Ever Change Your Mind." This is Meldau at his most vulnerable — at the same time delivering one of his finest vocal performances to date. "You saved my life," he sings, voice trembling very slightly, "How can I repay you?/ Firefly… did the only thing you could do."

"It's dark," Meldau acknowledges. " It's a bloody dark song about a friend, a lot of friends. Most of us didn't make it.

"I'm just very proud of this record," he continues. "It's been one hell of a rollercoaster, making it over four or five years. Not many people get that chance."