Alice Boman Dream On

Alice Boman recorded her first demos in her bedroom, with no intention of releasing them to the public. When they were finally heard by Malmö-based label Adrian, it is said that “time itself stopped”, confounded by the profound, unspoilt beauty of Boman’s creations.

The Swedish artist’s long-awaited full-length debut is surely her best accomplishment yet. Dream On is utterly transporting, its ten sublime tracks almost blending into a single haunting experience. Certain tracks stand out: ‘Heart On Fire’ is an off-kilter, quietly devastating ode to a love so strong she wishes it had never existed, while ‘This Is Where It Ends’ is a slow-burner, beginning sparse and building to the record’s rousing climax, Boman simply repeating her declaration that “it’s over”.

Boman’s voice is hypnotic, ghost-like atop the music, and indivisible from the tender simplicity of her lyrics. The soundscapes she conjures are completely immersive, layering synths with pretty piano notes, guitars with haunting steel pan riffs, with a steady ambience and delicate romanticism reminiscent of the work of Cigarettes After Sex.

A startlingly impressive debut, Dream On exudes an intimacy and emotion that seems limitless; that has the power to reverberate across continents, somewhere deep in the human psyche.