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The internal simulates the external. Our personal thoughts, emotions, and feelings reflect the whims and revolutions of our environment and the world around us. Swedish musician Benjamin Gustafsson alchemizes this natural energy into eloquent songcraft underlined by artful composition, stirring piano, serene soundscapes, and introspective lyricism. Based in Malmö, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer remains intrinsically attuned to his surroundings and the world at large on his new full-length offering, the aptly titled The Nature Within via Decca Records. 

“I had a huge desire to plunge into the human psyche and the general shape and foundation of what we are,” he explains. “I spend a lot of time outside, and I feel like the way nature acts is reminiscent of what’s going on inside of me. Sometimes, it’s stormy. Other times, it’s gentle. It can be either dark or light. I believe that’s The Nature Within.” 

In the same spirit, Benjamin’s music has consistently calmed and captivated ever-growing audiences. He introduced himself with Presomnal back in 2017 followed by Rest This Worried Heart [2018], Dear Earth, I’m Lost [2019], and Jaget? [2020]. Along the way, “Dormiveglia” accumulated 32.4 million Spotify streams as the likes of “Heaven Knows, Right?,” “I Heard You From Afar,” and “I Thought About Death, I Thought About Time” maintained his momentum, bringing his total streams beyond the 100 million-mark and averaging over half-a-million monthly listeners on Spotify. But this music shouldn’t be judged by random numbers which lack all the necessary context. It’s what it does and evokes for the listener that truly matters. An emotion is worth an infinite number of streams. 

But to look forward, it makes sense for us to take a look back. Benjamin, a sensitive and considered young soul, recalls discovering an emotional connection with music via a chance encounter with a Coldplay song on the television. 

“I remember very vividly back when I was either twelve or thirteen that the TV was on in the living room where I grew up and the music video for ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay came on. That was a moment when music became something more for me and something I became quite obsessed about. I started to play piano more intensively and write down my own ideas.” 

Rather than his discovery of Coldplay being a simple moment in time, the British band became instrumental in his formative years. Chris Martin, a musician who often operates either on the cusp of the overwrought or the emotionally resonant, painted musical pictures Ben had never known. 

“From when I first discovered Coldplay, I listened to them quite predominantly for a good few years. ‘X&Y’ and ‘Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends’ were the first records I ever bought out of choice, and I played them a lot.” 

From this somewhat entry-level euphoria (but no less important), the Swede’s attention soon turned to Sigur Ros, The Album Leaf, Ef, Olafur Arnalds, and the broad church of dramatic post-rock. A genre filled with artists pressing emotional buttons with the sleight of hand that Benjamin yearned for. 

“I loved creating harmonic clusters on the piano. To push down the sustain pedal and letting notes flow with each other was very therapeutic. It was like painting with sound. I guess that’s why I gravitated towards Coldplay because I liked the way they painted the sounds. Colorful and harmonious yet with some kind of sadness to it. 

“I especially loved the very first part of the intro to Coldplay’s ‘Life in Technicolor’ and the small little instrumental parts that came on throughout playing the album track by track. There was a sense of innocent exploration that I felt connected to.” 

Benjamin soon started writing for himself, mostly sweeping soundscapes and instrumentals that flowed from his hands to the piano and guitar. Lyrics were of less importance to him initially, invested purely in the emotion that the keys and chords inspired. He recorded these introductory records himself with no great expectation or plan. He soon started playing with his voice too, albeit not second nature to him. It became an extra ingredient, a further layer of instrumentation to add to the mix. It seemed to resonate outside the confines of his studio, and however the dark arts of the algorithm work, they started to become heard in greater numbers. Encouraging. 

During the crisp but solitary Autumn of 2020, Benjamin turned his attention towards what would now become The Nature Within. He moved out of his home in the woods to Malmö and bounced around Europe, the UK, and the United States for nearly two years. He infused the experience from this journey into the creative process, like all good artists tend to do. 

“I traveled and was inspired,” he recalls. “At one point, I was standing by the Black Sea, and I was very moved by the sound of waves at a certain place. My main focus was to experience life outside of the studio.” 

Now, he introduces the album with the debuting “Sleeping?”. Delicately strummed acoustic guitar entwines with Benjamin’s soft vocal delivery as the track builds towards a sweeping crescendo. In it, he confesses, “I tried to find the answers. I swear I tried so hard.” 

“It’s the pillar that kicked off the album,” he recalls. “I’d spent a year-and-a-half in this house in the woods, and then the pandemic happened. I isolated myself and spent a lot of time alone with my psyche. I’d sleep, be very immersed in a dream, and wake up all of a sudden. At this point, it was very hard to brush off the switch between an engaging dream and waking up to this harsh reality. I started to question everything, and dreams and reality merged. That’s what the song is about.” 

Elsewhere, “Spiral Thinking” twists together guitar, ukulele, and confessional vocals “about the depression and anxiety I felt at 16.” Submersing deeper into this world, a dreamy melody coasts over the mesmerizing majesty of “Home Again” where he longingly asks, “Can you bring me home again and tell me you’re mine?” 

The themes of depression and anxiety and their veil of darkness and uncertainty weave throughout the record, subtly but notably 

“I have a lot of compassion for anyone experiencing something similar and have a somewhat understanding about how hard it can be to manage.”   

Making music was a solace to him, a therapy, 

“I find there’s a lot of motion inside the body and mind and it’s quite often hard to intellectualize it, to find the right words to express what’s going on inside – but somehow making music channels that a bit. It makes the inside more manageable to cope with because one can attach the thoughts and emotions to melodies rather than words. I use words as well of course but it’s a very unforced process. I start with mumbling and then I just try to make sense somehow of my mumbling without putting too much intellect to it. This can be therapeutic as well.” 

Inspired by a biography on Nick Drake, he decided to tackle “Which Will” from the acclaimed English folk musician’s Pink Moon LP, armed with a combination of strings and intimate intonation. He also reimagines Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” as a sparse folk rumination. The vocals barely register a whisper, but he holds each note tightly as if clutching on for dear life. 

“I never planned to cover Avicii in truth. It all was a pure coincidence. They were doing a symphonic version of one of his songs in 2021 three years after his passing during an inauguration for an arena that was going to be called the Avicii Arena in Stockholm. I came across it on YouTube and noticed that the lyrics spoke something different in this symphonic version, and I got curious about what would happen if I played one of his songs too. ‘Wake Me Up’ was highest up on Spotify and I searched for the lyrics and just played. 

“There was a line: ‘I tried to carry the weight of the world, but I only have two hands’ that somehow surprisingly grabbed me deeply when I sang it. I think the reason why is because whilst living in the house by myself in 2019 for a few years, an immense desire for me was to find a deep, profound, global solution to lessen the suffering for whoever is struggling, especially mentally. It’s a lot to put on one’s shoulder and it almost put an end to my own being hunting that desire. But this line from the lyrics helps me to remember that it’s not all on me. That I can only do my best and that’s enough. 

“Of course, with the tragic outcome of both Tim Bergling and Nick Drake’s lives, it made sense to have them here on the album since both, as far as I can read, struggled to manage their “nature within” to reflect on how brutal it can be to experience life through a human body. I understand that.” 

The album concludes with “Alone Again.” He promises, “No one will do you harm. You’re safe,” over a soft twinkle of piano and airy guitar accented by strings, birds chirping, and the sound of his nieces at a playground. 

“It was the last song,” he goes on. “On ‘Home Again,’ I was tired. On ‘Alone Again,’ I was exhausted. It’s the voice reassuring you everything is okay though. Even if I’m completely alone, it will be fine. In the end, my nieces are on the playground. They’re going up a hill, but they refer to it as a ‘Mountain.’ They held hands and walked up it. It was so beautiful they were here for each other.” 

Ultimately, Benjamin captures the sound of nature in all its glory.  

“I found the really small moments and feelings we share with each other mean so much,” he leaves off. “The album has a heavy existential undertone, but it’s musically wrapped in a comfy blanket. I hope it leaves you more accepting of yourself. It’s a natural process for darkness to come, but it’s also natural for light to come. I hope you can accept that in your life.” 

Acceptance is the first step to healing, apparently. Benjamin Gustafsson’s The Nature Within perhaps provides a compelling second step.