Sometimes you hear a voice and it just smacks you upside the head. This what happened when I heard the title track off of Swedish/Barbadian singer/songwriter Naomi Pilgrim‘s upcoming EP, Sink Like A Stone. As unprepared as I was for that, Pilgrim’s latest tune, “I Wonder,” just hit me twice as hard. Distinctive in its tone, her voice packs a powerful punch. Soulful and passionate with a thick, gritty texture that instantly adds character to the song , Pilgrim’s vocal exudes a certain calm confidence, while the song’s dark, brooding production adds an unsettling air of danger and mystery. Listen to “I Wonder” below.
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The song, which premiered May 19th on Spin was co-written with some friends—Nanna Brickman and Oskar Blondell with production expertly handled by Fredrik Okazaki. “I Wonder” is part of Naomi Pilgrim‘s forthcoming EP, Sink Like A Stone, which is out this Friday, June 3rd (iTunes) through Scandinavian record label Cosmos (home to Say Lou Lou). It serves as the follow-up to the equally stunning title track; “Sink Like A Stone,” a co-write with Chicago-born Swede Henrik Jonzon (Paloma Faith, Zara Larsson). Listen below:
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While America and Europe are right on the cusp of discovering Naomi Pilgrim—in Sweden and Norway she’s been “A THING” since 2013 when her debut solo single, “No Gun” first broke—playing festivals throughout Europe and releasing her debut, critically-acclaimed self-titled EP in 2014, which went on to earn her comparisons to artists like Sade and Lauryn Hill. Since that first release, the young artist has done a lot of growing—both artistically speaking as well as personally. Last year marked her return to Barbados, her childhood home—a place she hadn’t been back to for nearly ten years. Pilgrim emerged from this trip with a new appreciation for her culture, as well as an understanding of “how to use my Barbadian heritage in my music.” Expect a lot of self-reflection as well as reflection on society at large in her new EP.
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Stream and download “I Wonder” now (Spotify / iTunes). The Sink Like A Stone EP is out Friday.
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