The Dina Ögon are a now on their fourth album and this time they've nailed their identity as the premier Swedish post-folk popsters with the 13 track baby 'Människobarn'!
We've been tracking the four-piece Dina Ögon since their track 'Bakom glaset' made it onto Vol. 6 of the Mr Bongo Record Club compilaiton (see review HERE) which got a litttle overlooked sitting next to Sweden's Sven Wunder and being a bit poppy!
However, we are now fully onboard with the summery jingley/jangley sixties pop sensibilites last year with thier single, 'Orion' (see review HERE), the double A sider 'Dålig teve' ('Bad TV') and 'Margaretas sång' ('Margareta's Song') (see review HERE) that are both on the album.
Of course these two tracks stand out now on the album as they're both embedded in a consciousness, along with 'Orden brann' (that you might find in Stockholm's 'Peace' Culture Project in the near future) but it'd be easy to pick 'singles' as it so good throughout; possible due to being sung in Swedish by Anna Ahnlund's voice.
Not that I can understand any Swedish, 'Människobarn' does come over as "bittersweet", like early Bowie/Spiders verses the 5th Dimension and Joni Mitchell with a a gentle Pixies!
The electric guitar of Daniel Ögren (he of Fastingen 92 on Mr Bongo - see HERE) is as high profile as Anna's vocals and whilst it can sound Fleetwood Mac at times, tracks like 'Du ska va kvar', 'Verdandi', 'Hack i häl' and the closing track 'Hélena', melt in their summer sound.
In fact, whilst I can only think of Tunng as a experiment folk-pop comparision you'd have to transpose them to 60s California which is a pretty good recommendation in anyone's book.
The tracks are mostly in the constaint of the pop/radio 3-4 mins and it'd be cool if the tracks had a "jazz" version with solos and Anna doing a full Norma Winstone - but that's just me as this 'Människobarn' is perfect just as it came out. .
Artist: Dina Ögon
Title: Människobarn
Release date: 6th February, 2026
Label : Playground Music
Catalog Number : -
Format: Digital / Bandcamp
