A duo at one point, Swedish grunge-pop outfit ShitKid is once again, Åsa Söderqvist, all by herself. After going all out with collaborations, having already released Duo Limbo/”Mellan himmel å helvete” alongside The Melvins and Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers earlier this year, Söderqvist returned to her bedroom under lockdown to let her own ideas run free. The result is her forthcoming second record of the year, 20/20, and today she has released the project’s fourth single titled “dream sequence”.
Though the record’s press release hints at ShitKid’s upcoming project as a “cute” and “colorful” pop undertaking, this new track suggests otherwise. In fact, it’s dreary and colored with a palpably dark atmosphere.
No, “dream sequence” is not the blistering garage rock that listeners experienced with Duo Limbo/”Mellan himmel å helvete”. However, it does fall in line with the alluring fuzz and vocal melancholy of 20/20‘s previously released three singles—the bass-driven “dream sequence” is the best of the bunch.
But with a simple structure and infectious vocal melody, “dream sequence”, to a degree, confirms ShitKid’s new pop-leaning direction, pinning her as an artist who can easily sway between musical styles and genres. Söderqvist asserts, “This is my pop album,” further explaining:
“The demos that became this album just sounded like they wanted to be pop songs – I could hear the melodies and the refrains. It seemed like the most fun option I could take.”
ShitKid’s 20/20 is out on September 25 via PNKSLM Recordings and can be preordered here. Follow ShitKid on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
