Guest Playlist: Hannah Schneider – ‘Sedated Summer Sounds’

Following the beautiful sounds of singles such as ‘Mirror Sphere’ and having charmed our ears as part of duo AyOwA, Danish artist Hannah Schneider has returned with a sparkling new offering. A glistening celestial soundscape, ‘It’s The Season’ reflects on the high expectations of the summer months and the disappointment this can sometimes bring. As Schneider’s rich crystalline vocals float alongside shimmering keys and a dreamy ethereal haze, a truly blissful soundtrack is created, oozing a euphoric, soothing grace.

To celebrate the release of ‘It’s The Season’, Schneider has put together a little playlist of her favourite summer tunes – ‘Sedated Summer Sounds’. Have a listen on Spotify now, read about her song choices below, and make sure you watch the new video for ‘It’s The Season’ at the bottom of the feature.

Masasolo – ‘Really Thought She Loved Me’
My friend Morten Søgaard made this amazing song a few years ago under his moniker Masasolo. I think it’s an absolute classic, leading your mind towards another of my favourite bands…

Tame Impala – ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’
This song, like so many of Tame Impala’s songs, takes me to this otherworldly place, where the wine is free, the days are long, and the people are all carefree and beautiful!

AyOwA – ‘Sommer’
A song from my band AyOwA, which adresses the longing for a summer that never comes. It’s a slow, sedated summer sensation that lingers on after it’s over.

Josephine Philip – ‘She Said’
My label mate and collaborator Josephine Philip makes music that grips you and holds your attention. This song has a beat to die for!

Vera (feat. Okay Kaya) – ‘Falling’
I bow down to this carefree pop banger. And when Okay Kaya starts singing in Swedish I’m just woooowww!

Hannah Schneider (with Christian Balvig, feat. Goss, Jacob Bellens and Josephine Philip) – ‘It’s The Season’
I made this song ’cause I have mixed feelings about summer. The early summer in Scandinavia is such a giant peak of the year. Sometimes we end up waiting for a summer that just never comes, and when it’s finally there, the expectations are so high that we can only be disappointed. To me, midsommer is a melancholic time where every feeling is exaggerated, and the beauty of it all is so breathtaking that it feels like you have to throw all your guards down and just surrender.

Sylvan Esso – ‘Hey Mami’
It’s all about the beat and the carefree melody.

Soleima (feat. Hoodboi) – ‘Breathe’
Daydreaming my summer days away with this one.

Alina Baraz, Galimatias – ‘Fantasy’
If I lived in L.A. and wasn’t such a Scandi, this would be the music I would make.

Patrick Watson, Safia Nolin – ‘Mélancholie’
But then again I am Scandinavian, and the trees don’t reach the stars… I always carry some serious melancholy with me wherever I go, and this song is perfect for that!

Excelsior – ‘Gold Runs’
One of my favourite Danish artists just released this gem of a song!

Liss, Nilüfer Yania – ‘Boys in Movies’
Love this track and the way the chords change.

Jungle – ‘Cherry’
This beat… I mean !!! Love Jungle, and this track is such a vibe!

Anna Roemer,  Ned Ferm – ‘Azure’
Such a beautiful ambient and soulful piece of music for just when the day breaks! You see the azure blue water quietly moving when you hear this music.

ML Buch – ‘Somewhere’
Such a great new track from one of my favourite Danish artists. ML Buch always grabs my attention, and keeps me listening attentively to her every move. 

Quadron – ‘Herfra Hvor Vi Står’
Love this cover of an old ‘70s Danish song – sung by Coco O of Quadron. Just such a moving, slow, beautiful and soulful piece of music. 

Monica Zetterlund – ‘Come Rain Or Come Shine’
To end up this playlist I look towards one of my favourite singers of all time – Monica Zetterlund – who captures all the Scandinavian melancholy and long summer nights in her voice.

Massive thanks to Hannah for sharing her ‘Sedated Summer Sounds’ playlist with us! Listen here and watch the new lyric video for her latest single ‘It’s The Season’ here:

FIVE FAVOURITES: Sunflower Thieves

Combining charming vocal harmonies and soft guitars to create their delicate pop-folk sounds, Leeds duo Sunflower Thieves write tunes inspired by personal narratives and nostalgia. Their musical creations have blossomed out of a sixteen year friendship between band members Amy and Lily, and their upcoming single ‘Don’t Mind The Weather’ is a warm reflection on staying grounded and safe within the relationships with the people you trust.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Amy and Lily to ask them about their “Five Favourites” – five albums that have inspired their song-writing techniques. Check out their choices below and scroll down to watch Sunflower Thieves’ lyric video for ‘Don’t Mind The Weather’ at the end of this post.

1. Sylvan Esso – What Now
Lily: Since I was first introduced to Sylvan Esso with their song ‘Hey Mami’, I just completely fell in love. Amelia’s gorgeously beautiful vocal alongside Nick’s impossibly catchy production is just the perfect mix to leap around your bedroom or just lie on the floor and weep. When this album came out I was absolutely obsessed and it’s all I wanted to listen to for a really long time. I remember every time that me and my best friend got in the car to go anywhere we’d blast it out on the country roads and just scream along without a care in the world.

I think the main thing I gained from listening to them was the reassurance that having a soft vocal does not mean that you can’t sing. At the time when we started singing together I felt very self conscious about my voice because I wasn’t/will never be a belter! But as I grew up and started listening to more and more music I realised that that wasn’t the be all and end all.

2. MUNA – Saves The World
Amy: I first came across MUNA through one of my Uni lecturers. I don’t think he would have predicted what an impact they would have on me. Lyrics are a big thing for me and there aren’t many people who cut straight through to your feelings like MUNA. It’s hard to choose between this album and About U, but Saves The World came along during my time at Uni and for me, it’s attached to a lot of my personal growth, new experiences and wonderful friends found during that time. I can’t wait to be back in a room with my friends, dancing to this album and celebrating loving each other and being exactly who we all are.

3. Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps
This is our joint choice and always our reference for writing inspiration, production inspiration and general wonderful human being inspiration. We couldn’t tell you how many times we’ve been working on a song and one of us has said “you know in ‘Scott Street’ where she does this…we could try that!” We’d never heard anyone say things the way she says them before and when we first heard ‘Motion Sickness’, it was an instant “yes please.” Phoebe has helped us find our sound, inspired us to write the kind of music we want to write and we definitely aspire to achieve the kind of poetic realism her lyrics hold. In this album, Phoebe helped Sunflower Thieves’ writing grow and she hasn’t disappointed since.

4. Darwin Deez – Songs For Imaginative People
Lily: It was hard to choose which Darwin Deez album to pick! I think I know every word to every song he’s ever released. However, I reckon this album has really influenced the lyrics I write. The word play in his song-writing is something I strive for and all his outer-space metaphors excite me, I just love how geeky he is! I feel like we’d get on. I first heard of him because a friend at school recommended his song ‘Radar Detector’ and that was it, I was hooked. My favourite song on this album is ‘Alice’, it’s the song that plays automatically every time I plug my phone into the car stereo and I don’t hate it! I just love how honest and real he is, in a weird and wonderful way.

5. Sam Fender – Hypersonic Missiles
Amy: My ultimate go-to running/driving album (drumsssss + Springsteen vibes). I first saw Sam Fender play live at The Bodega in Nottingham in 2018 and have followed his journey since – I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about an artist’s debut album. I listened to nothing else for weeks after the release – my friends and housemates at the time can attest for that! I have Geordie family, so I guess that’s why I feel at home with his music.
It’s so refreshing to hear an artist address real, difficult subjects with such intimacy and fragility. This album makes me feel angry, powerful, vulnerable and uplifted. And probably most importantly for me, the lyrical content of this album makes me want to write songs.

Thanks to Amy & Lily for sharing their favourites with us!

Watch the lyric video for Sunflower Thieves’ new single ‘Don’t Mind The Weather’ below.

Follow Sunflower Thieves on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Alice Ashley