Olof Dreijer, formerly of the Swedish synth-pop duo The Knife, has revealed details of his first solo album. Titled Loud Bloom, it is set for release on May 8 via DH2, the electronic imprint of Dirty Hit. The album features reworked tracks and a new single with Sudanese singer Maman.
Olof Dreijer, once half of the Swedish synth-pop duo The Knife, has officially announced his long-awaited debut solo album, Loud Bloom, arriving May 8 via DH2, the electronic imprint of Dirty Hit.
The album's tracklist comprises 14 songs, including six previously released tracks from the last three years: “Rosa Rugosa,” “Cassia,” “Coral,” “Acuyuye,” “Blood Lily,” and “Iris.” It also includes a reworked version of “Camelia” from Dreijer’s 2023 Rosa Rugosa EP, now titled “Plastic Camelia.” Other features include “Acuyuye” with Diva Cruz and “Makwande” with Toya Delazy. The full tracklist is: 01 Rosa Rugosa, 02 Plastic Camelia, 03 Cassia, 04 Acuyuye [ft. Diva Cruz], 05 Makwande [ft. Toya Delazy], 06 Blood Lily, 07 Iris, 08 Echoed Dafino [ft. Maman], 09 Laurel, 10 Verbena, 11 Coral, 12 Fern Valley, 13 Lantana, 14 Shisandra.
A new single, “Echoed Dafino,” features Sudanese singer Maman. Dreijer shared in a press statement: “I was so moved the first time I heard the original version of ‘Dafnino.’ Maman’s voice is so beautiful. I wanted to make it work in my DJ sets, so I made my own version that I felt became more than just a remix so I thought it could be nice to include it on the album. The additional vocals he recorded made it feel very special too.”
Recently, Dreijer produced four tracks on Radical Romantics, the latest album by his sibling Karin Dreijer under the Fever Ray alias: “What They Call Us,” “Shiver,” “New Utensils,” and “Kandy.” In the same year, he collaborated with Mt. Sims on a record of steel drum music. Pitchfork previously ranked “Coral” at No. 42 in The 100 Best Songs of 2024.