Review: Dina Ögon - Människobarn (Playground Music)

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.  .  

BUY LINK:  https://dina-ogon.ffm.to/manniskobarn-album

Artist: Dina Ögon

Title:  Människobarn 

Release date: 6th February, 2026

Label : Playground Music

Catalog Number : -

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Dina Ögon - Dålig teve / Margaretas sång (Playground Music)

Dina Ögon are a fourpiece who certainly have their own identity and Swedish post-folk swagger with a pop-Tuung groove!

You may recall as part of our continuing series of 'What's going on in Sweden', we dipped into Dina Ögon summery jingley/jangley sixties pop sensibilites last year with thier single, 'Orion' (see review HERE).  And they're back with a double A sider 'Dålig teve' ('Bad TV') and 'Margaretas sång' ('Margareta's Song').

Whilst the cover looks like a lost clip from 'Annika Strandhed' a TV series based in Scotland staring Nicola Walker (with it's 'stolen' look of Nordic Noir), we're tolda Anna Ahnlund's voice "has never sounded this ambivalent before, and the lyrics have never been so fantastically bittersweet. While the lyrics capture a relationship in decay and regrowth".

That said, what really caught our ear were 'Magareta's Song' with the instrumental highlighting a bit of seasonal bell jingling.  And by coincidence, I'm told our favourite Swedish jazzers, Coco Chatru Quartet have a new "Christmas" album coming out soon; quite a jump from their last album (see review HERE) you'd have thought.  And, just incase you didn't know, guitarist Daniel Ögren played on Sven Wonder's recent album, 'Daybreak'!

Just in case you've ever listened to the BBC Radio series 'The Cold Swedish Winter' that revolves around an Anglo-male living in Sweden with his Swedish wife and young son, you'll have some sort of knowledge of how complicated life in Sweden is; Dina Ögon's fourth album 'Människobarn' due out in early 2026 will cheer up any ex-pats.

BUY LINK: https://dina-ogon.ffm.to/dalig-teve

                  https://dina-ogon.ffm.to/margaretas-sang

Artist: Dina Ögon

Title:  Dålig teve / Margaretas sång 

Release date: 7th November, 2025

Label : Playground Music

Catalog Number : -

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Dina Ögon - Orion (Playground Music)

Dina Ögon are a fourpiece who certainly have their own identity and Swedish post-folk swagger.

You might have come across earlier single of 'Glitter' / 'Det läcke' with summer jingley/jangley sixties pop sensibilites... along with some splendid Swedish vocals.

Don't think of you're usual stereotypes from Sweden (a certain pop band, specialist film/magazine industry or Sven-Göran Eriksson - who we wish all our best after his recent health annoucement) but these guys are a healthy mix of Tuung (UK) the nu-Rio wave of Bala Desejo (see review HERE) with some West Coast CSN&Y influence; and that's more than enought to get excited about.

The nine tracks on 'Orin' are a 'Best Of' selection so the quality doesn't really dip as it's all brilliant but if you pushed me, 'Milton' is very Vashti Bunyan meets Indo-Fleetwood Mac (Ed. we could do with a longer mix for this one) and the almost dubby title track (Ed. where's Mad Professor?) and if there's some seagulls flying about, the Balearic soft-rock of 'Mellan de sju fjällen'.

If you're looking for this years' Altın Gün, look no further and if you've ever listened to the BBC Radio series 'The Cold Swedish Winter' that revolves around an Anglo-male living in Sweden with his Swedish wife and young son, you'll have some sort of knowledge of how complicated life in Sweden is; Dina Ögo make it sound so beautiful you'll want to go there anyway.

Artist: Dina Ögon

Title:  Orion

Release date: 2nd February, 2024

Label : Playground Music

Catalog Number : -

Format: Digital / Bandcamp