“We started this album almost immediately after we finished the first SunYears album Come Fetch My Soul! I was on a songwriting roll so I wanted to continue straight ahead without overthinking.
The first session came about by happenstance because I knew my good friend and one of my favorite drummers, Kyle Crane (Daniel Lanois, Rufus Wainwright, Neko Case, Madison Cunningham, M. Ward, Buck Meek, etc.), was in Stockholm for a few days with nothing to do. I booked my bandmate Bjorn’s (Bjorn Yttling from Peter Bjorn and John) small basement studio and asked my regular bass player/harmony singer Andreas Nordell (the closest there is to a proper full-time SunYears member) to join, and we put down five songs in two days.
I was off to the races! Those recordings set the tone for the rest of the record. Even more than on the first record, there is a focus on live performances of the three-piece pop/rock band. Sure, there are overdubs… and a couple of songs that fall out of the mold and give variation. But there is a raw nakedness to the recordings, a crispness and focus. You really hear what everyone is doing, especially on those trio-focused tracks. There’s a first-take magic to songs that maybe in reality took a few takes to pin down.
This record maybe “rocks” a bit more than the first. There are tracks that veer closer to what I do in Peter Bjorn And John when we’re more lo-fi powerpop garage-rockish. Had SunYears not been my filter-less primary go-to project for songs these days, and had Peter Bjorn and John been recording an album, songs like “Dark Eyes”, “Cruel Country”, “The Body”, or maybe even “Spanner in the Works” (which reflects the indie pop-folk side) could have gone there. But that’s not the phase I’m in at the moment, and I want all the best versions of my songwriting to go right here and make albums that feel true and honest to my full range as writer/performer. Of course, it being my project, SunYears has more pure focus on guitar than Peter Bjorn and John. I constantly fall in love with the guitar and love taking it in different directions and evolving together with it.
After Kyle Crane left, we continued recording a few more songs in the same setup but with Nino Keller (who played on most of the first record and often is with me live) on drums. We then moved to my friend Daniel Bengtson’s Studio Rymden, where I recorded half of the first album. Here we did two more expansive, acoustic-leaning tracks with Daniel playing various things, as well as Ulrika Gyllenberg on violin. It’s a different flavor but gives the album the variation a great album needs. The album opens with a jam/improvisation created in Nashville with Jamie Lidell and his magic tape loops.
Like on the first album, I wanted to mix up my own voice with some favorite singers to give the songs more width and depth, different songs taking different turns. Everyone chimed in beautifully!! Grateful! There are also a couple of co-writes included, so the idea of keeping SunYears a bit open-ended and collaborative still holds.
I would say that theme-wise and in spirit it continues and expands on the first album. There are songs about memories and what made you who you are. There are songs to friends and family; loved ones, people that have passed, people that you will never forget. There are songs about existential ruminations and crises, metaphorically and directly. There is despair and there is hope. Songs about different kinds of addictions, for better and worse. Songs about how the physical and psychological work in tandem. Aging. Life. Death. Nature. Not least, there are songs about the everlasting love of music, how the music business might throw you off but how the music in itself is pure salvation. Yes really! You gotta give it your full attention and respect. Don’t leave that song forlorn! I tried my best!
The artwork consists of two paintings done by an expat Scottish artist/writer who lives in my Stockholm suburb neighborhood. I think they both reflect the sometimes contradictory feelings and the madcap, barely sustainable nature that lies in any free-flowing creative outlet like SunYears. Also, they’re just wonderful to look at. I love the colors and the landscapes. Perfect for this album!”
Credits
Release: 2025-08-21 (August 21, 2025)
Catalogue number: VLL73
© & ℗: 2025 SunYears under exclusive license to Villa
Where Are We?
Written By: Peter Morén, Jamie Lidell
Produced By: Jamie Lidell
Engineered By: Jamie Lidell, Nashville, Tennessee
Mixed By: Niklas Bergöf
Mastered By Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Ukulele, Electric Bass, Kalimba, Percussion, Feet And Hands, Doors And Floors
Jamie Lidell: Tape Loops, Synths, Effects
Dark Eyes
Written By: Peter Morén
Produced By: Peter Morén
Engineered By: Hans Stenlund At Ingrid Studios
Mixed By: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered By: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals,Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitar
Andreas Nordell: Electric Bass, Backing Vocals
Kyle Crane: Drums And Percussion
Last Night On The Mountain (Ft. Lisa Hannigan And Sam Genders)
Written By: Peter Morén, Sam Genders
Produced By Peter Morén, Daniel Bengtson
Engineered By: Daniel Bengtson And Sofia Kristensen At Studio Rymden.
Additional Recordings By: Lisa Hannigan, Sam Genders, Niklas Berglöf
Mixed By: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered By: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Nylon String Guitar
Lisa Hanningan: Lead Vocals, Harmony Vocals
Sam Genders: Harmony Vocals, Backing Vocals
Daniel Bengtson: Crumar Piano, Grand Piano, Vibraphone, Mellotron, Pump Organ, Percussion, Snare Drum
Andreas Nordell: Double Bass
Ulrika Gyllenberg: Violin
Nino Keller: Drums, Percussion
Your Dad Was Sad
Written By: Peter Morén
Produced By: Peter Morén
Engineered By: Hans Stenlund At Ingrid Studios
Mixed By: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered By: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Lead Vocals, Pianos, Electric Guitar
Andreas Nordell: Electric Bass, Yamaha Organ
Nino Keller: Drums
(Going To A) Cruel Country
Written By: Peter Morén
Produced By: Peter Morén
Engineered By: Hans Stenlund At Ingrid Studios
Mixed By: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered By: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Lead Vocals, Electric Guitars, Fuzz Bass, Moog Synthesizer
Andreas Nordell: Electric Bass, Backing Vocals
Kyle Crane: Drums And Percussion
If You Were To Ask (ft De Clair.)
Written by: Peter Morén, James Yorkston
Produced by: Peter Morén, Daniel Bengtson
Engineered by: Daniel Bengtson and Sofia Kristensen at Studio Rymden
Additional vocal recordings by: Niklas Berglöf
Mixed by: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered by: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Lead vocals, backing vocals, Grand Piano, baryton electric guitar
De Clair. (Clara Rudelius): Lead vocals, backing vocals
Daniel Bengtson: Vibraphone, Crumar Piano, Mellotron, backing vocals
Andreas Nordell: Double Bass
Ulrika Gyllenberg: Violin
Nino Keller: Drums
Spanner In The Works
Written by: Peter Morén
Produced by: Peter Morén
Engineered by: Hans Stenlund at INGRID Studios
Mixed by: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered by: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, melodica
Andreas Nordell: Electric bass, backing vocals
Kyle Crane: Drums and percussion
The Body (ft. Nicole Atkins)
Written by: Peter Morén
Produced by: Peter Morén
Engineered by: Hans Stenlund at INGRID Studios
Additional vocal recordings by: Cameron Neal
Mixed by: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered by: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Lead vocals, backing vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitar
Nicole Atkins: Lead vocals, backing vocals
Andreas Nordell: Electric bass
Kyle Crane: Drums and percussion
Nino Keller: Drums and percussion
Swamp Mob
Written by: Peter Morén, Andreas Nordell, Nino Keller
Produced by: Peter Morén
Engineered by: Hans Stenlund at INGRID Studios
Mixed by: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered by: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Electric guitars, spoken word
Andreas Nordell: Electric bass
Nino Keller: Drums and percussion
The Song Forlorn (ft. Madison Cunningham)
Written by: Peter Morén
Produced by: Peter Morén
Engineered by: Hans Stenlund at INGRID Studios
Additional vocal recordings by: Madison Cunningham
Mixed by: Niklas Berglöf
Mastered by: Magnus Lindberg
Peter Morén: Lead vocals, backing vocals, electric guitar, organ
Madison Cunningham: Lead vocals, backing vocals
Andreas Nordell: Electric bass, backing vocals
Kyle Crane: Drums
