I'm sorry.
After giving it a lot of thought I've come to the conclusion that I can not release my upcoming album "Dear Anomie" before the summer as I had planned and promised.
It feels awful but it would feel even worse to release it after 5 years of hard work without giving it a real chance of getting the attention I believe and hope it deserves.
The main reason that I decided to postpone the release is that "Adiyeah" did not do as well as I had hoped on radio. It was only released to Swedish radio and I know that those of you living in other countries might feel that it doesn't make any sense but having some degree of radio success here in Sweden first makes it so much easier to break a song in other countries.
Doesn't make any sense at all in my opinion since a song that one country loves might not work at all in another country and vice versa but for some reason that's the first thing that record companies, radio stations and booking agencies ask about.
I know some of you were not feeling "Adiyeah" at all and I hope you know how much I respect, value and acknowledge your opinion.
I knew from the moment I wrote it that the reception would differ greatly.
Lyrically I don't feel as I've strayed away from the core of my songwriting but the music and production is definitely different from most of my other songs.
I wanted to try a different direction and find a new twist and kind of a "qwerky" sound without compromising the credibility. Make a song that felt uptempo and happy without loosing a serious message. I don't regret writing or releasing it and I still feel good about the song but time will have to tell if I feel the same way a few years from now.
Although I know that a lot of you appreciate my sound as is but sometimes I feel that I need a break from the moody vibe that I've always associated my music with.
I'm sorry if that's upset some of you but I have to listen to my inner voice and not be afraid to break the mold sometimes.
The good news is that the album is ready and that I now have the opportunity to make sure it gets the proper preparation and attention in terms of distribution and PR.
Another good thing is that I feel very happy with the album and I truly believe that there are at least 3 more songs on it with single potential. "Armageddon", "Just Love" and "All That Matters" and even though I've always felt satisfied with the "album songs" on my earlier albums I've never felt that I've had as many singles on an album before.
I wont repeat my earlier mistakes and make any release date promises this time but I can assure you all that I'm as eager as all of you to get "Dear Anomie" to your ears as soon as possible.
As a small consolation I've decided to give you 2 mixed songs that didn't make the album but that I still feel good enough about to let you hear. All you have to do is sign up for the newsletter and you will receive a link where you can download them (those of you who have signed up have already received the link)
Once again I'm really sorry to disappoint you all again and I hope that once the album is delivered it will make you all feel that is was worth the wait.
Sincerely yours
/Stephen
