Frida Sundemo – Snow

Niall McMurray March 23, 2015 1 Comment

I’m often puzzled by the way record companies go about their business. If you were running a shop and had an exciting new product, would you leave it in the stockroom until it passed its use-by date? No, you would not. You’d put it right at the front with an exciting window sticker that some poor assistant will eventually have to pick off with a spatula whilst muttering about the idiots in the marketing department (I have a lot of experience in this area.)

Anyway – that’s exactly what EMI did with Frida Sundemo, a potentially huge pop star who they decided was best promoted by not telling anyone about her existence. I understand the concept of a stealth marketing campaign, but there’s a fine line between stealth and doing absolutely flop all, and EMI were on the wrong side of it entirely.

Snow has everything going for it – thunderously electronic, it pulsates with sadness and longing and possesses a wonderful fairytale quality that elevates it far above even the best Scandipop that typically reaches our shores. We’re disproportionately fond of Swedish pop in this country and nothing gets us more excited than a bit of snow, so there is absolutely no reason why this couldn’t have been a massive hit. Why it wasn’t used as a soundbed for Winter Olympics coverage is a complete mystery to me – to the best of my knowledge it hasn’t even turned up in a wintry episode of Homes Under the Hammer, and they never look too far from the obvious when it comes to literal interpretations of their surroundings (when a house has too many walls you can invariably count on – thank heavens for the blanket license arrangement – Cathy Dennis‘s Too Many Walls piping up.)

Maybe there is still some grand master plan being played out, but there’s been no effort to promote Frida in the UK other than a blinding show at London’s Sebright Arms in March 2013. Frida has released several amazing EPs since then, so if you enjoy top quality and slightly spooky pop I urge you to seek them out as a matter of urgency.

Entered chart: did not chart

Who could sing this today and have a hit? I think it’s only right and proper that Frida has the hit with this – but if we must give it to someone else it might as well be Ellie Goulding, who can sing any old tosh and have a smash.