It’s here, the collaboration that many dreamed of has now arrived. Evidence continued to gather after Swedish House Mafia signed onto Sal Slaiby, The Weeknd’s manager. After fans began to imagine what a collaboration between the four could sound like, Swedish House Mafia dropped a teaser to an unknown record at the end of their VMAs performance – thanks to The Weeknd’s signature vocal, fans instantly recognised what they were hearing.
In the teaser, The Weekend begins with singing “Like a moth to a flame…” which mirrors the beginning of the almost 4 minute record. The lyric inspired the title ‘Moth To A Flame’, which was confirmed by both Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd when they announced the single would be coming this week.
Unlike the other two singles Swedish House Mafia recently dropped; ‘Lifetime’ and ‘It Gets Better’ – ‘Moth To A Flame’ sees a 12am release in each territory, unlike the past singles releasing at the same time worldwide. This is an interesting change which may be due to The Weeknd’s involvement in the project.
The record is a terrific blend between The Weeknd’s catchy and unique vox and Swedish House Mafia’s new sound. The house based production shines with the synths and uplifting nature of the Swedes. Amplified by the teaser, the guitar riffs are one of the major standout elements on the record.
The Carl Nordström assisted production, like ‘Lifetime’ manages to traverse the world of dance music and the more commercial side of things. Whilst many fans of the Swedish trio may crave for the atmosphere from their dance anthems of the past, that is in the past as Swedish House Mafia explore their new, richer and darker sound.
The ending fades into what seems like a transition, continuing a similar theme to that of the past singles in what could point to an album that blends each single for a seamless experience. Speaking of album, news on Swedish House Mafia’s Paradise Again album (which has been confirmed to drop before the end of the year) is sure to arrive soon after the release of ‘Moth To A Flame’. Tracklisting, date and artwork may soon be on the horizon as 2022 nears.
The music video, directed by Swedish House Mafia’s art director Alexander Wessely follows the theme of the exceptional past duet. The video adds more to the recent universe and story that was created via the other music videos, which is sure to get even more clear via each new video.
Alongside the news and release of ‘Moth To A Flame’, Swedish House Mafia have announced a number of shows around the world including Coachella. At this time shows are only throughout Europe and the United States, but they won’t be the only territories announced for long.
