The magnificent multi-instrumentalist, Tobias Arbo, has quietly been building his credentials to cement his place as one of the most talented melody-makers in independent music today. Even at an early stage in his career, he develops sensitive and very poignant songs from intricately laid arrangements through bittersweet folk-pop melodies.
In the year since the release of his first EP, Arbo has picked up a back catalog of over 14k monthly listeners on Spotify with his ethereal sound. Evoking comparisons to frontmen like Sufjan Stevens, José González, and early Bon Iver for his ability to envelop everyday marvels in supple textures, Arbo has the enviable gift of filtering heavy emotions through soft instrumentation and vocals.
With this, Arbo is now set to break through further with his latest album “Yellow Woods.” A gorgeously layered production, the eight-track LP sees Arbo drive his atmospheric style into richer territories. Writing and production are handled by Arbo for the most part, while he’s also collaborating with esteemed producers Zach Hanson, Linus Hasselberg, and Hannes Hasselberg on the finishing touches.
The album whisks the listener away from its first notes. “Intro” drifts in with a reverberating wash of synthetic tones and subtle beat programming. Distorted sounds swirl together in a hazy, dreamlike aural expanse, not unlike entering a meditative state. At just 32 seconds, it sets the stage for the musical journeys to follow.
The tones are clear on “Pyre” as Arbo’s baritone enters amongst soft accompaniment; quiet intimacy pervades his vocals to connect through subtle inflection rather than overt expression. Warm instrumentation wraps around the voice, enhancing that vulnerable delivery. Layered pads and strings come out with spacious textures for Arbo’s plaintive melodies to float within.
“Recover” shines with a brilliant major-key melody, and Arbo’s singing maintains its soft lilt but shows the beginnings of hope buried among the sounds of nature. The buoyant folk-pop sound is built around acoustic and electric guitar strums, intertwined with piano and organ washes.
“Sirens” presents a rich sonic palette: Arbo’s voice breathes amongst rippling pads that ebb and flow; gentle rhythm guitar picks emerge and fade out as other layers swell and recede in the mix. “Tinfoil Hat” assumes a lighter, more folkish texture, with strummed acoustic guitars and light percussion.
“Spacecraft” brings full emotive range to the fore from Arbo. A melancholy piano line anchors the song as gentle drums, subtle basslines, and backing vocals flesh out the arrangement without detracting from Arbo’s stirring performance.
“Quaker Gun” strolls in at a lilting pace, with acoustic folk textures, delivered tenderly by Arbo, which entwines with shimmering instrumentation and subtle beat programming. Brass flourishes add weight to the chorus and its message.
The title track “Yellow Woods” closes the album on a grand note. Arbo’s distinctive vocals weave among cascading synth textures that gradually build up to an open, cathartic conclusion. “Yellow Woods” serves as the culmination of the album’s recurring emotional and sonic motifs, bringing the full arc of Arbo’s journey into focus.
Growing up on Sufjan Stevens’ introspective folktronica, Tobias Arbo has surely captured that comforting and visceral style that draws you deep into an album’s visceral world through lyrical details alone. This enriches the intimate relationship between artist and listener by completely cradling you yet at the same time making you feel the music.
This record will be in heavy rotation for me, and I can only hope that the world discovers Arbo’s gift for warm, nuanced songwriting. Make sure you stream it today on Spotify.