Lighthouse of Glass Out April 11th via Bark At Your Owner.
Photo Credit: Jessica Nettelblatt
Following a string of successful single releases, Swedish songstress Sofia Härdig drops her highly anticipated 9th studio album Lighthouse of Glass on April 11th via Bark At Your Owner.
Showcasing Härdig’s distinctive vocal range and innovative songwriting, Lighthouse of Glass emerges as a portal into hundreds of untold stories, each track representing a crystallised moment from two years of intense artistic isolation.“I wrote on my own in solitude for almost two years. I read a lot, wrote a lot, and recorded more than hundred of songs,” Härdig recalls. “I was in this cave of writing.” This prolific period of creation has culminated in what might be her most ambitious and personal work to date. From the brooding piano of ‘Pale Fire’ to the power ballad of ‘Kingdom Come’, each track unleashes the full force of her commanding vocals while highlighting her masterful touch as both producer and songwriter.
Each song on Lighthouse of Glass represents what Härdig describes as “the tip of the iceberg of a long cycle of lyrics, often a novel or short story built in solitude.” Her process involved “taping images, fragments of text up on the wall,” with many songs starting as half-hour epics before being distilled to their essence. “I think and hope that listening is like dipping your toes into these different fragments of worlds that exists under the surface,” she reflects. The album’s centrepiece and title track ‘Lighthouse of Glass,’ emerged as a rare moment of pure artistic channeling – captured in its original form during an improvisational session, with Härdig’s initial guitar take remaining untouched throughout the production process. This track became the catalyst for her collaboration with Risenfors, whose contributions helped shape the album’s distinctive sound.
The record features an impressive roster of collaborators, including Bebe Risenfors (known for his work with Tom Waits and Elvis Costello), who was so moved by Härdig’s live performance that he spontaneously joined her musical journey. “It was amazing to open the projects from Bebe when he sent them back to me and see what he had added to my demos,” Härdig says. “It spurred me on recording more, building soundscapes.” The album also brings together some of Sweden’s finest musicians, including guitarists Robert Johnsson (Robert Johnson and the Punchdrunks) and John Essing (Bob Hund), with Grammy-awarded Nille Perned handling the mixing duties.
The recording process blended intimate home studio sessions with a three-week residency at Visby Center for Composers. Härdig, who produced the album herself, created rich soundscapes featuring contributions from Victor Brobacke on trombone and Sara Edin on violin. The recording process became a unique blend of creativity and community, with Härdig’s kitchen and tin roof serving as unconventional meeting points for the musicians. Drawing from a diverse range of influences including Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, and Alan Vega, Härdig has crafted an album that defies easy categorisation, moving fluidly between alternative rock, gothic rock, and post-punk. Across the album Härdig represents the distillation of longer musical narratives, carefully refined to create windows into deeper sonic worlds.
From childhood, Sofia Härdig demonstrated an extraordinary musical sensibility, composing songs using unconventional sound sources like car engines, vacuum cleaners, and boat motors. Her early experimental approach—singing over household appliances and hammering on an ancient, untuned piano—foreshadowed her distinctive artistic trajectory. Härdig has earned widespread critical acclaim, being nominated for Composer of the Year in Sweden and gaining recognition from legendary artists like Stevie Jackson of Belle and Sebastian and members of Sonic Youth. Her music has resonated internationally, with extensive radio play including BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq Show and German Radio Eins dedicating two hours to her release. Her impressive collaborative history includes working with Grammy Award winners The Hellacopters and Bob Hund, as well as renowned producers Jari Haapalainen and Nille Perned. Swedish hall of fame artist Jenny Wilson has supported her music, even remixing her single ‘Collision,’ while Härdig has also performed alongside artists like Lydia Lunch and collaborated with Yoshimi from Boredoms. Renowned for spellbinding, high-energy live performances, Härdig challenges musical boundaries, transforming everyday sounds into extraordinary artistic expressions.
Lighthouse of Glass is available from April 11th via Bark At Your Owner (part of the Icons Creating Evil art family).
LIVE DATES
4 April Tallinn Music Week
5 April Supermarket Artfair Stockholm
10 May Kollektivet Livet Stadsgårdsterminalen Stockholm
21 August Bio Aspen Stockholm
DISCOVER SOFIA HÄRDIG
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