Jens Lekman’s 4th LP Will See You Now

Swedish songsmith Jens Lekman, he of droll, self-deprecating wit and poignant tales of romance and the many pitfalls thereof, has completed work on his fourth full-length album (fifth if you include the compilation of EP tracks, Oh You’re So Silent Jens) and first in five years. Secretly Canadian, his devoted label home in the States, will release the ten-song Life Will See You Now on February 17th.

Described as a more expansive, upbeat collection of tunes than perhaps he has been known for, the album also finds Lekman experimenting with a range of different rhythmic styles, from calypso, samba and bossa nova to disco. Ewan Pearson, notable for his work on albums by M83, the Chemical Brothers and Goldfrapp, was brought in to produce. Fans pre-ordering the album direct from Secretly Canadian will get the LP on opaque orange vinyl and two bonus flexi-discs. Remember those? I guess they’re making a revival too, eh?

Jens is touring the US in February and March, but is skipping Atlanta and in fact the entire Southeast, presumably because Nick Cave told him we lynch people all the time down here, although another theory is that too few people go to see him whenever he does play our backwards-ass region.

Photo by Ellika Henrikson.