Winona Oak (stage name of Johanna Ewana Ekmark) and Boy In Space (stage name of Robin Lundbäck) have three things in common: they are both 29 years old, they both hail from Sweden, and they have both supported singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin on his European tours. On the 22nd of March, they released the single ‘Inside Out’ together, which will be part of Winona Oak’s upcoming album Void.
The track is a synth-based one that opens with an approximately ten second long instrumental before Oak’s distinctive vocals enter, singing “I’m sorry if it hurt”. Immediately, she sets the scene: the song is about a relationship where both partners hurt each other without meaning to. On top of that, they are hurting themselves too, yet stick around through each other’s pain. The full first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus are sung by Oak. “It’s like you love me on the inside out” the chorus goes, referring to the fact that the other person sees through all the hurt and flaws. They are there for each other through the good and the bad, so to say. In the final, softer, notes of the chorus, Oak sings “I’ll never see me through your eyes” – while she is struggling to love herself, the other is looking at her in adoration.
The second verse is sung by Boy In Space, stating that “it’s almost like you’re in love with my scars”, continuing the theme of a significant other loving even those parts of you that you fail to appreciate yourself. In the pre-chorus and chorus, main vocals go back to Oak, with Lundbäck providing backing vocals. Their voices work beautifully together, as both have very unique sounds that perfectly fall into the synths. After the second verse, the song builds up to an intense bridge where the couple sings that they could carry each other’s darkness, and that “everything that’s yours is mine”. When one is hurting, so is the other – one never has to go through the rough parts of life alone. After the final chorus, the song fades out softly.
This is a maybe not so unexpected collab – after all, the singers have a lot in common – yet it must be said how good of a decision it was for them to write and record this track together. Co-written and produced by Martin Stilling, known for working with other Scandinavian artists such as Sigrid, this team of talented musicians has made the perfect indie pop backing track for the start of the spring season.
Written by: Mandy Huibregtsen
Edited by: Nèri Cliteur
