3–5 minutes
I’ve been noticing a lot of great music and artists coming out of Scandinavia recently. Inspired by my own finds over the years and a playlist I’ve been gravitating towards on Spotify, cph+, here are 5 of my favourite Nordic artists coming out with great music right now.
SMERZ
Smerz are a Norwegian duo made up of Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt. Blending experimental electronic with art pop, the duo make music that is minimalistic and spacious, but equally strange, engaging and catchy. Their 2025 album ‘Big City Life’ is what introduced me to the band, instantly hooking me with ‘You got time and I got money’ which I think was the first track on the cph+ playlist when I came across it. This song I think encapsulates perfectly everything I love about Smerz - perfectly produced hypnotic beats, half-sung, half-spoken vocals, spaced out synths and addictive melodies. Their music is often very restrained - especially on 2026’s ‘Easy EP’, of which 4 out of 6 of the tracks are around a minute or less long. Ultimately, it’s this restraint that makes Smerz so compelling - they understand exactly how much a song needs and never over do it.
ASTRID SONNE
Astrid Sonne is a Danish composer, violist and producer whose music sits somewhere between abstract electronic and experimental pop. Since her debut album ‘Human Lines’ her music has incorporated more vocals and pop characteristics, whilst remaining daring and unpredictable. Her 2024 album, ‘Great Doubt’ is what introduced me to her music, particularly the track ‘Staying here’ which is based around swirling synth arpeggios, gliding pads and vocals without any drums. Throughout ‘Great Doubt’, Sonne demonstrates a remarkable ability to make unconventional ideas feel emotionally direct, blending elements of contemporary classical music, ambient electronics and pop songwriting into something entirely her own.
Blue Lake
I was introduced to Blue Lake, the musical project of Jason Dungen, through his 2023 album ‘Sun Arcs’ which was featured on Pitchfork as one of their albums of the year. Born in Texas, but residing in Cophenhagen, Dungen bases his music around his custom-built 48-string zither. The zither is a stringed instrument stretched across a flat wooden body without frets. The sound is bright and shimmering across these tracks, as the instrument is used to create deep, layered and expansive pieces that lose you in its meditative atmosphere. My personal favourite tracks of his are ‘Dallas’ and ‘Bloom’. The latter never fails to transport me somewhere else. His 2025 albums ‘Weft’ and ‘The Animal’ I enjoyed but he has yet to surpass ‘Sun Arcs’ for me.
ML BUCH
ML Buch is a Danish musician, producer and guitarist. Her 2023 album, ‘Suntub’ is a favourite of mine, and it’s the guitar playing that is the centre focus here. Though her tone feels fresh and modern, her music is coloured by tape effects and chorus, creating an unmistakably analogue and nostalgic feel. Effects are an important part of ML Buch’s music, as she bends, stretches and twists sounds into entirely new textures that often blur the line between guitar, synth and ambience. Her vocals on the other hand are mostly crystal clear and smooth, gliding over her hazy and ambient guitar sounds, balancing experimentation with melody and emotional directness. Despite the release of Suntub extras in 2024, which offered a glimpse into the album's creative process, ML Buch has yet to release a full follow-up to Suntub. Given how singular that record feels, I'm very intrigued to see where she takes her sound next.
YDEGIRL
Ydegirl's music immediately stood out to me for its energy. Where a lot of contemporary experimental pop can feel detached or understated, her songs feel urgent and full of momentum, driven by pounding electronic rhythms, bursts of distorted guitar and vocals delivered with conviction. One of my favourite tracks of her’s is ‘Spirals on My Tongue’, built around a bright electric piano motif that loops throughout the song, with the vocal melody weaving around and following the melody of the riff. It's a simple foundation, but one that becomes increasingly hypnotic as layers of electronics accumulate around it. What I find most compelling about Ydegirl is how her songs are full of unusual textures and experimental production choices, yet never lose their sense of direction or strong sense of melody.
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If you're looking for music that feels fresh, inventive and difficult to pin down, Scandinavia is one of the best places to find this at the moment.