Me & Melancholy drops brand new record

Stockholm-based artist Peter Ehrling, better known under his artistic banner Me & Melancholy, has been making an impression in the electronic music sphere with his blend of brooding synth textures and nostalgic hooks. As a self-taught musician and producer, Peter has developed a sound based on the moody atmospheres of 80s and 90s dark wave and synth pop, channelling the emotional gravity of bands like Depeche Mode, New Order and Camouflage.

While taking cues from other eras of music, it’s his ability to filters these influences through his own distinct, modern lens that makes the sonic output of Me & Melancholy so utterly compelling. Inspired as much by the darker edges of new wave as by Sweden’s own synth acts like The Mobile Homes and Elegant Machinery, Peter launched the Me & Melancholy endeavour in 2022 with the debut single “The price was too high.”

Since that initial offering, he’s remained remarkably prolific, releasing a steady flow of singles, remixes, EPs and records that each build on his themes of emotional reflection, engaging sonic impact and electronic experimentation. Now he brings us perhaps his finest work to date with his brand new album titled Open Your Eyes, a stunning eleven-track record penned between May and December last year.

Each track on the LP is cinematic in scope, yet intimate in execution, resulting in songs that feel like late-night drives through empty streets, headlights cutting through fog, soundtracked by heartache and hope in equal measure. Set up by title track “Open Your Eyes,” the pulse of bass synth is met by bright lead flutter and the grooving snap of drums as his emotive vocal leads enter to stitch elegant, sweeping melodic lines into the lively synth fabric. With instantly catchy songwriting, invigorating rhythmic energy and graceful vocal layers, it’s a bouncy jam that deftly balances light and shade in spectacular fashion.

With “Don’t leave me here in the dark,” he casts a deep and immersive soundscape befitting of its name where brooding synth textures and the muted punch of beats forges a hazy atmosphere peppered by intricate lead notes and led by subtly intense vocal lines. Laying down an enveloping arrangement that pairs echoes of dark pop writing with mesmeric groove, it’s an engrossing outing from start to finish.

Songs like “Naive” brings rattling synth tones and the energy of uptempo percussion capped by Peter’s gripping vocal performance. It’s an exhilarating track brimming with danceable energy, dynamic synth lines and bursts of infectious melodic elements. Other highlights on the album include tracks like “A quiet place in the dark” with its crisp, industrial-inflected beats and zapping synth dashes crafting an atmospheric soundscape that’s at once fiercely original and accessible throughout.

“One Last Kiss” offers a shimmering slice of uplifting synth pop built on the steady rhythmic punch of the drums and slick touches of upbeat synths as Peter’s charming vocals glide above to offer memorable melodies and heartfelt lyricism. Closing the album with “Cold down to the bone,” the patter of staccato synth shots and fuzzy texture of drifting tones slips into a restrained groove of pulsing energy and dazzling split vocals to craft a spellbinding synth pop scene, delivering a spacey and wholly absorbing finale to Me & Melancholy’s incredible new record.

Listen to Open Your Eyes below