An enchanting rush of dazzling, sweet dream pop comes to life in ViVii’s sophomore album ‘Mondays’ as the Swedish trio delve into the depths of emotion, connection, and reflection.
Stream: “Summer of 99” – ViVii
An enchanting rush of dazzling, sweet dream pop comes to life in ViVii’s sophomore album as the Swedish trio delve into the depths of emotion, connection, and reflection. Intimate and heartfelt, majestic and ethereal, Mondays dives unapologetically into the self as ViVii envelop listeners in glistening sounds and elegant melodies that evoke joy, pain, and everything in-between.
The summer of 99, I Held up pretty fine
My mother told me, son u better run
The summer of 99, it took me by surprise
Hiding from your eyes, don’t wanna rush
Oohh, I need u baby
I’m feeling high tonight
Well no one knows that all I do is pose
Pretending I’m ok I’m faking all the way
Hovering above the ground, quiet not a sound
Let me be around to soak the sun
I suited up for war
But i got lost ashore
Defeated by a simple touch
– “Summer of 99,” ViVii
Released May 21, 2021 via Dumont Dumont, ViVii’s Mondays arrives this spring as a refreshing, buoyant soundtrack to spiritual renewal, self-reflection, and rejuvenation. Consisting of Emil and Caroline Jonsson and Anders Eckeborn, Stockholm-based band ViVii dazzled their way into our lives two and a half years ago, injecting the airwaves with fervent energy and immersive, dulcet tones. Hailed as an Atwood Editor’s Pick in January 2019 for their “colorful and cathartic” song “And Tragic” (which went on to hit #1 on The Hype Machine’s chart), the group released their acclaimed self-titled debut album in March 2019. They followed their record up last June with “Whistle,” a haunting folk song that feels like it could have come out of an American old Western film.
Nearly two years after their debut, ViVii’s sophomore LP finds them returning with an elevated and expanded sense of self: Mondays finds the band experimenting with new sounds, and textures while staying true to their colorful, dreamy indie/alternative roots.
“For this record we moved to a new studio, which helped us to start from scratch in a new environment,” ViVii tell Atwood Magazine. “We had a year behind us with a lot of touring and experiences, so we felt very inspired to start with new songs. To get all of this that we had inside translated into the songs. That’s basically how it started. Then we had our Mondays during the past year, and managed to make enough songs, so finally we had a record. Easy peasy!”
“We didn’t have a big vision or anything,” the band add. “We just tried to make good songs that we all love, and the direction we went for could change a bit from month to month.”
The album’s title Mondays feels like a nod to the complex feelings we experience at the top of each week, but for the band, Mondays were always special: “The songs were all written on Mondays,” they explain. “It’s our official “working” day in the studio together. Growing up, Monday was the worst day of the week for us because of school. Nowadays it’s the best day of the week!”
I feel Mondays is a continuation of our last album. It clings on to that same branch, except it has grown a bit since last time… Like a living organism, always on the move.
For the trio, Mondays is as much a showcase of their best work, as it is a testament to their musical growth together. “I would say that we have become even more a “real band” that really are best friends,” Caroline Jonsson reflects. “Touring and spending so much time together ties us together in a really special way and it feels like nothing can tear us apart.”
Escape and push delete
You’re playing hide and seek
Then you’ll se what it means
Taking the last seat
Push play and then repeat
Then you’ll see, do you agree
The time is up
Come meet me at beachwood rendezvous
Need no laptop baby just leave it till Monday afternoon
Swallowed by the sea
Weight don’t bother me
It don’t bother me
Don’t you know it’s dead
Waited all to late
All time low, all for you
– “Rendezvous,” ViVii
This special new journey kicks off with the indulgent, immersive outpourings of “One Day,” “Summer of 99,” and “Disco All Night Long” – each of which captures another catchy, compelling side to ViVii’s style and sound. Energizing and awash in lush guitars and harmonizing vocals, “One Day” kicks the record off with inspired verve. “Summer of 99” rises out of warm depths to envelop the ears with tender vocals and hauntingly sweet, high guitar work. It’s ViVii’s signature darker ethos, channeled through a canister of light. “Disco All Night Long” follows with a burst of radiant, rich melodies that, while subtly conjuring up memories of past Swedish musical legends (ABBA), happily pushes ViVii into pop music’s future.
ViVii have found a way to create their own intense, vibrant walls of sound – and they shine brighter than ever on songs like “Rendezvous” and “Fool Alone,” each of which stuns the ears with a gorgeous blend of sound that is easy on the ears, while nevertheless stunning to behold.
The band claim no favorite song, but they do highlight the “Summer of 99” line, “Well no one knows that all I do is pose, pretending I’m okay, faking all the way,” as one of their favorite lyrics.
“I would say that every song is a favourite,” Jonsson expresses. “Since we mostly worked on Mondays, every song has that certain day or moment that you remember as soon as you listen to it. Makes it almost impossible to choose a favorite, but this time we actually managed to make a couple of songs that are a bit more direct and more important, under four minutes long.”
Ultimately, ViVii hope Mondays takes their audience on a musical, emotional adventure.
“We just hope that this record can take each listener and make them into a passenger that is willing to tag along on our journey. The limitations of a lot of things that we usually have, time and gear, for instance. We had to work with what we had basically.”
Whether you’re drawn to the sweetly spirited “Disco All Night Long” and “Smackdown,” or softer moments like “Read Between” and “Summer of 99,” Monday‘s ten songs make for an entrancing 40-minute escape. By the time ViVii close things out with the gentle, dynamic closer “Baby Be the Light,” we’re ready to start all over again.
Experience the full record via our below stream, and peek inside ViVii’s Mondays with Atwood Magazine as the band goes track-by-track through the music and lyrics of their sophomore LP!
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:: stream/purchase Mondays here ::
Stream: ‘Mondays’ – ViVii
:: Inside Mondays ::
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One Day
Our first top-3 night on tour!!! We rented a fantastic Airbnb in New York that happened to have a roof terrace overlooking (almost) the entire city. It was the last night of the tour, and we were finally in the rain ourselves.
Summer of 99
From the green meadows to the big city roller coaster rides of our so called lives.
Disco All Night Long
This song was written after one of our top 3 nights on tour – an unforgettable 24-hours in Berlin! We had with us our good friend Jonathan Johansson who acted as guide and showed us the best of Berlin. It resulted in a day of adventure all over town. After some dancing at an amazing techno place, we sat down by a fire near the water when Caroline started humming a beautiful little melody that stuck immediately. As soon as we got home we went in to the studio and tried to remember everything and this is what happened – Disco all night long!
Rendezvous
It brings us back to the mixtapes days. The feeling of pushing play and then entering into the world of whatever that song would give. Some songs would take us to our favourite places that no-one knew about, but we haven’t been back there for a long time, this song brings us right back to that same spot, hopefully it will take you on a trip as well.
Fool Alone
A Teenage love that keeps you hospitalized. A buzz that you can’t and don’t want to get out of. We wanted the song to feel like it was played by elementary school kids sitting in a circle playing guitars, tambourine and bongo drums.
Swimming Pool
The second top-3 night occurred on our US tour. We lived in a house in LA, Beachwood. Sitting in a sofa group on our patio next to a “swimming pool”. From early afternoon to early dawn we sat there, people came and went but we stayed. At that night swim, the idea for the song was born, I know that it was one of us who was constantly nagging about the childhood dream of never owning an own pool. Then everything turned black… The next day we found recorded the basics of the song that we certainly recorded during the small hours. The basics are the same as those included in the song.
Smackdown
We had enough mid-tempo songs and were eager to do something more danceable. What does it take to make a simple dancing song? We thought two chords at first but then we indulged in a third chord and suddenly it became complete! A tribute to our Swedish music heroes ABBA who we mixed with a little Fleetwood.
Read Between
Sometimes music can feel so framed that you have to abide by a lot of rules for it to fit into a particular form. For this song, we decided to let go of all that and just let what felt right be right. It is more of a work perhaps, with some elements from our background in classical music. The first half of the song was something we clicked on in a cathedral somewhere in Holland. The second half is simply a journey in the feeling we had for the song. The song is about how it can be difficult to get to the “ordinary” life at school, work or other social contexts. It’s not always easy when you feel like you’re coming from another planet.
Wider Sun
A song that was born from a typical ViVii moment in the studio … started to loop a thing with the guitars that sounded so nice so nice, whereupon Emil became completely to himself and the melodies just came to him … as it so often does when we work together… the rest of the song is a little hard to remember but luckily we had time to press rec!
Baby Be the Light
What happens when Caroline is sick from a Monday session in the studio, well this song came about in her absence. Caroline was a little upset that she was not allowed to be on it, but it was too good not to be on the album.
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:: stream/purchase Mondays here ::
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