Sternposts new record is like a pixelated pong square (despite being circular) bouncing between avantgard-ish jazz trio over the sound of rain, Stereolab moments, heartbreaking harmonies and the hidden gems of Swedish pop history. Sternpost is the side-project since over a decade of Petter from Testbild! (and Ocean Tango and the Bibliotek label just to name a few). Sadly they will forever allude the algorithms controlling what is discovered or not (despite one of their albums actually being streamable). But as someone growing up in Malmö, Sweden, Testbild! have always been the stuff of legend – playing only a few concerts.
Ulrika is the third longplayer from Sternpost, released by Dilletante (another obscure Swedish outpost, “established in 1982”) this weekend. The cover shows an image of Ulrika picturing rain, green and buttons. This abstract representation of feelings and memories says a lot, actually, about the nature of Sternpost’s music – always suggesting, never putting obvious chords or words in your mind. A commendable quality for an artist in this day of hyper-saturation. And a trait that invites you to listen again.
Just thinking of all the worldwide releases like this, which fall below the radar is staggering. Let’s not keep this one a secret, shall we?
