Axel Flovent - ‘Away From This Dream’ | ALbum Review
September 2 | Written By Adele Whyte
Axel Flovent’s music has continued to grow alongside his artistry. His brand new album ‘Away from this dream’ is no different. Flovent is an Icelandic singer-songwriter who first burst onto the scene back in 2015 when he debuted his highly successful track ‘Forest Fires’. The track went on to exceed almost 80 million streams on spotify and get his face out on the music scene. Axel’s alternative sonic expression and folk eloquence help magnify his pop into new directions and playlists.
Over the last year, Axel has been working on his new album ‘Away from this dream’. Throughout every word and guitar string, you can feel the emotional investment by Axel as his ability to capture listeners through headphones and on stage becomes clear. ‘Away from this dream’ resonates with audiences who are looking to lean into expressing the challenges life throws at us through the progression of the album's tracks.
The opening track ‘Moonlight’ is well placed because of its dreamy effect on listeners' eyes and ears. This introduction to Axel’s album helps build a natural crescendo, helping to guide listeners smoothly into the next tracks and Axel’s journey away from his dreams. ‘Don’t wait for summer’ builds tempo with a prevalent drum beat accompanying Axel’s soft tone. The choice of having ‘Moonlight’ and 'Don't wait for summer’ as the first two tracks on the album prepares listeners for the versatility of Flovent’s potential. The third track ‘Have this dance’ begins with a synth-pop style which keeps listeners guessing as to what else Axel offers. This track explores the different emotions we feel as individuals when love enters our life. Axel is able to describe the reality of keeping ourselves ‘covered’ while single and then how we can redefine ourselves down a new path of love with someone whether we are looking for love consciously or subconsciously.
While discussing the album, Axel spoke about his journey to the recording studio and how he frequently listened to 1980s pop radio stations which helped build his curiosity for this style his music. Therefore, as the album continues, not only does ‘Have this dance’ feature a synth feel to audiences, but ‘Chasing the night’ also plays with the concept of a retro beat while punching audiences with surrounding guitar notes which change as Axel’s voice breaks through. Both ‘Have this dance’ and ‘Chasing the night’ feel intertwined by their use of 80s synth but also because ‘chasing the nights’ feels like the mature realisation of growing up and accepting who you are now while chasing “the days I lost, with the lessons I didn’t”. This could easily relate to relationships as well as individuals and how they’ve become.
In between these tracks on the tracklist is ‘Wash it away’. Flovent commented on this song’s meaning describing it as “In the midst of dealing with emotions..in different relationships, you end up washing yourself away”. This shows listeners that Axel is not afraid to show vulnerability within this music and express real emotions that change as we sacrifice ourselves to another person.
The piano melody and powerful vocals of Axel in ‘When the sun goes down’ helps to place it comfortably towards the end of the album. This song helps provide a soothing sense around finding confidence in yourself when experiencing dissapointment. ‘When the sun goes down’ and ‘Asymmetry’ both have a stripped sound to them which help highlight Axel’s vocal ability. Alongside this, ‘Asymmetry’ pushes Axel’s vulnerability and explores the heightened self-doubt he unlocks in himself which ties the album to a close.
Overall, Axel Flovent’s ‘Away from this dream’ helps listeners embrace self-doubt and vulnerability through his emotional lyrics. Lyrics such as “I can’t let you in on my thoughts” and “Or is it my overthinking, I can’t really tell” help unlock a sense of acceptance towards negative feelings of yourself and add to the maturity of Flovent as an artist. The growth and tranquillity shown by Axel shines through to listeners experiencing the album for the first time or again and again.