Paintroller
Youth, 2021
8/10
The recording moniker of Filip Sjogren, as Hands Down he pens personal songs where each song sounds quite different from the next one, while still retaining plenty of harmony, timeless pop ideas and superb production that highlights every detail of the musicianship.
“Mother” starts the listen with a very dreamy and precisely layered version of manipulated vocals and waves of shimmering synth, and this creativity continues to the more indie-rock oriented and falsetto friendly title track, which welcomes subtle brass amid some spacey moments.
Halfway through, “Too Late” brings piano and strings to a very melodic climate, while “Meet Me At The Bar” gets a bit more gritty with strategic fuzz and orchestral moments of raw beauty that you can’t help but be drawn to.
Close to the end, “Why” opens up with acoustic guitar before hypnotic drumming and expressive singing enter the very stylish delivery that builds into a crisp alt-rocker, and “Never Been That Happy” exits the listen with a swirling, meticulously textured version of elegant pop that fades into sparse, mysterious song craft.
Primarily a sound technician and producer, let’s hope this isn’t a one off project from Hands Down, cause Paintroller puts a fresh coat of paint on pop music with Sjogren’s unique and inimitable vision making an indelible mark.
Travels well with: Bonander- Things We Don’t Talk About; Goan Dogs- Call Your Mum