Arv & Miljö - ST LP

”What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.” - Lao Tzu

Arv & Miljö’s final self-titled LP on Discreet Music sounds like all the late nights in Gothenburg - hazy and full of quiet in-between moments where nothing much happens, yet everything happens. I’ve been lucky to be there a couple of times, drinking, talking, listening - being. This record feels like those nights. Field recordings of still air, cheerful shouts, distant voices, the kind of sounds that only gain meaning in hindsight. Echoing instrumentals drift in and out, not as big gestures but as gentle, fleeting impressions, like tapping your finger on the table while lost in thought. It’s hauntingly nostalgic, but never too sweet or sentimental. The past is there, but it doesn’t let you live in it.

Matthias, the mastermind behind Arv & Miljö, feels like the both musical and non-musical big brother I never had. We’ve had a few long chats talking about music, life, and everything in between. His work has always had a way of making the mundane feel profound, pulling beauty out of overlooked corners. This LP is no different - it’s a document of time passing and of being present without realizing it. A record that lingers. Thank you Matthias for your tunes as they have been emancipating, inspiring and much needed voice in northern experimentalism. Early AOTY contender no doubt about it.