Loney Dear with Headlights

Loney Dear is the disguise of multi-instrumentalist and ex-pro cyclist Emil Svanängen. Born in Jönköping, Sweden in 1979, Emil absorbed many of his key musical influences in early childhood: Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and early U2 all loomed large. Aged eight, he took up the clarinet and quickly developed an interest in combining synthesizer music with ornate pop. In his early teens, he focused on troubadour-style singing and guitar-playing, and fronted a jazz piano trio in his late teens. With the birth of Loney Dear in 2003, Emil's songwriting took an almost manic turn, with an emphasis on experimentation and obsessive perfectionism.

Since Loney Dear's self-released debut, The Year Of River Fontana (2003), he has enjoyed quiet yet persistent word-of-mouth success, never courting the fickle attention of the press. He has been prolific too, going on to release Citadel Band in 2005, Sologne in 2006 and Loney, Noir in 2007. Dear John is the final piece of a five-album puzzle. It's a love letter to himself, a goodbye note to his loved ones and one last gigantic hurrah for his loyal fans. But this is by no means the end for Loney Dear – it's merely the end of this particular journey.

Recorded alone in Emil's tiny Stockholm studio apartment and in the comfort of his parents' house in Jönköping, Dear John is an album of contrasts. It will cozy up next to you through the bleakest of winters and be your shade in the blistering summer sun. It's an album that has been on Emil's mind since the inception of Loney Dear, and was crafted lovingly and sometimes frustratingly over the past three years. Emil has always aspired to perfection; he has always promised a masterpiece. He sincerely hopes Dear John is that record.

Illinois trio Headlights open.

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