Jens Gustavsonโs new album Vissa dagar, an unsigned digital release, sees the long-running Swedish singer-songwriter leaning even further into a distinctly acoustic, roots-infused palette. Mostly recorded live at Studio Rissna City in Jรคmtland and shaped by producer Robin Lindqvist, the record blends New Orleans-tinged roots blues, folk, country, European song tradition, and acoustic indie into something raw, intimate, and proudly boundary-pushing. Gustavson, who handles guitars, banjitar, harmonica, piano, and percussion, teams up with Ronny Dahlberg on drums, Gรถran Backlund on bass, Ulrika Persdotter Dahlberg and Gustaf Ullbrandt on choir, Ulf Wahlstrรถm on slide guitar, and Fredrik Stรฅhl on helicon. After nearly 30 years on the alternative Swedish scene, performing everywhere from Storsjรถyran to Urkult, Gustavson continues to carve out his own eclectic, text-driven lane.
Anyway, once Vissa dagar begins, โHumlorโ sets the tone with its catchy, head-bobbing groove. Gravelly vocals meet female backing harmonies as jangly guitars and pulsing bass underline Gustavsonโs wry, philosophical reflections on humanityโs pointless chase for status. Itโs hooky but thoughtful, its folk-rock warmth carrying lyrics about insignificance with surprising lightness.
โNumeraโ follows with autobiographical fragments, and then the title track โVissa dagarโ arrives as a gentle breath of hope. It opens with glistening, soothing acoustic-guitar plucks, each note like sunlight through trees. Gustavson sings with eloquence and tenderness because even on the rough days, things eventually fall into its natural place. Steadily singing, he shows that he has lived enough life to believe his own reassurances.
Later, โKanske just det hรคrโ wanders like a travelogue, while โKommer hemโ drives along lonely inland roads, blending a literal journey with existential questioning. โHusetโ digs into old wounds, stark and unvarnished. Then track seven, โVals fรถr utmattade,โ lands with weary honesty. Over a catchy, minute-long rhythm, Gustavson sings exhaustedly, capturing the heavy sigh of simply getting out of bed. Somedays, it do be like that.
By the time the album reaches โChant,โ a reflection on growing intolerance, Vissa dagar stands revealed as a cohesive, organic, emotionally honest record that balances grit with vulnerability, roots with experimentation, and everyday weariness with just enough hope to keep going.
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Review by: Naomi Joan