29 October 2026

GRAENS – Antitunes (2026, LP, Sundog Sound)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Sundog Sound

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition “Red Sun” Wax, Gatefold Sleeve (feat. art from Callum Rooney spanning the front & back cover), Photo card insert, 250 copies

Release Date: 10 Sep 2026

Forget the usual rules of psychedelic rock for a while. Græns seem far more interested in what happens when the familiar structures begin to fall apart, rhythms take unexpected turns and strange sounds find their way onto the dancefloor. On “Antitunes”, the Swedish quartet moves through hypnotic grooves, experimental electronics, psych-rock excursions and flashes of Anatolian-flavored psychedelia, creating a sound that can be simultaneously funky, disorientating, playful and wonderfully odd. There is a certain restless spirit running through these seven compositions, an urge to keep moving without necessarily knowing where the music will end up. Guitars, synthesizers, bass, drums and percussion become parts of an ever-changing sonic puzzle, while the occasional use of unconventional vocal treatments adds another layer of psychedelic strangeness. Interestingly, several tracks were recorded live in the studio, capturing the band’s collective energy rather than polishing away every rough edge. Others were recorded without an audience, allowing different ideas to take shape. The result is an album that refuses to stand still, balancing exploratory psych with grooves that might tempt even the most reluctant feet to move.

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Græns bring together Axel Fredlund (vocals, synthesizers and bass), Axel Jonsson (guitars), Axel Sjöberg (drums and percussion), and Anna Fagerberg (bass, synthesizers, backing vocals, tambourine and transverse flute). The project grew out of Sjöberg’s desire to explore musical territory beyond conventional rock structures after his departure from Swedish heavy-rock outfit Graveyard in 2017. Since then, Græns have developed an identity of their own, drawing on psychedelic rock, krautrock, experimental sounds and dance-oriented rhythms without allowing any single influence to dictate the direction. Guest contributions from saxophonist Lisen Rylander Löve and vocalist Agnes Aldén add further colours to the album’s already unpredictable palette.

Seven tracks, one restless musical imagination and absolutely no interest in staying inside the lines. “Seed Your Mind” kicks the door wide open with a fast, furious and powerful attack, driven by a repetitive guitar melody that gets under your skin from the very first spin. The vocals have a strange, almost decoder-like quality, while a magical flute sound occasionally emerges from the background, adding another colour to this wonderfully twisted psychedelic clockwork. What a cool start! “Antitune” slows things down, opening with deep synthesizer tones and a creepy atmosphere before the band plunges into a slow, funky psychedelic sea. Progressive rock, pop and hypnotically trippy rhythms gradually intertwine, until the guitar begins to lose its mind after the halfway point. A brief explosion of complicated feedback chaos follows, only for the whole thing to settle into a surprisingly peaceful ending. With “Nfak”, the atmosphere turns deliciously late-night and seductive. For some strange reason, it brings to mind that old refrain about Barry saving someone’s life – “…Barry White saved my life…” – and once that association enters your head, you understand exactly where this track is taking you: cool, hazy, trippy and carrying a distinctly erotic undercurrent. “I Luv My Bby” takes another turn, mixing funk, rock and psychedelia into a rather complicated arrangement, with twisted vocal treatments adding a distinctly modern flavour. Think psychedelic R&B after a few unexpected chemical adjustments, with Græns refusing to keep things straightforward for even a moment. “False Magicians (Fuck Your New Car)” begins with a hypnotic bassline that slowly draws us into a dark, psychedelic soundscape where Soul and Psych meet somewhere in the shadows. But the band has bigger plans than simply keeping us there: the track gradually transforms into a full-blown psychedelic rocket, blasting off towards outer space in one of the album’s most thrilling moments. “Sun Circus Pt 1&2” brings some fascinating African and Anatolian-flavoured elements into the picture, before the middle section launches into a massive, krautrock-inspired motorik missile moving at the speed of light. Another exceptional moment, where modern psychedelia meets an Eastern-futuristic edge and the rhythmic engine refuses to slow down. Finally, “Flex (Enter The Floor)” takes us straight onto a psychedelic dancefloor, driven by a trance-like beat, electronic textures and spacey effects scattered all over the place. Eastern-tinged melodies collide with Space Rock and Krautrock, creating a fantastic, high-on-acid dance-a-delic finale. If you ever wondered what might happen when the psychedelic trip decides to dance rather than simply drift through the cosmos, Græns have a pretty convincing answer!

With “Antitunes”, Græns prove that modern psych still has plenty of unexplored corners, especially when you dare to mix hypnotic grooves, Eastern flavors, electronic weirdness, and motorik propulsion without asking permission from anyone. Seven trips, no unnecessary rules, and a final destination somewhere beyond the dancefloor and deep into outer space. Keep your mind seeded, your feet moving, and your ears open! Dig! TimeLord Michalis