Sven Wunder details new album ‘Daybreak’
Sven Wunder
New album ‘Daybreak’ Released 26th September 2025 via Piano Piano Records
Title track is out now
“one of the closest modern equivalents to the Italian library oeuvre...” - The New York Times
“When you start a new record you never really know where the journey will end up,” says Joel Danell, the Swedish composer and musician who is also known as the Grammy-nominated Sven Wunder. “For this album, I went in many different directions to finally end up in a place rooted in cinematic emotions and big orchestral arrangements.”
Since his 2019 debut album, Doğu Çiçekler (Eastern Flowers), under the enigmatic moniker of Sven Wunder, Danell has become something of a sensation via a string of records spanning jazz, pop, soul, psychedelia and easy listening. His records, which have drawn comparisons to titans like David Axelrod, have been given extensive acclaim, as well as major award nominations, and he’s collaborated with the likes of Danny Brown, as well as seen his music featured in major fashion campaigns by Tyler, The Creator. “Every day is a ‘pinch me’ moment,” he says.
However, what Danell has successfully created is increasingly rare in the modern digital age. By eschewing the conventional approach of having personality-led music, he’s allowed the music to become his core identity. “By putting myself in the background, music has been the main focus,” he says. “It’s always music first.” By allowing himself the time to focus purely on his craft, only eventually letting people know his true identity a few years in, has allowed him to carve out a unique and distinct space as an artist. All of which leads to his fifth, and perhaps greatest, album so far.
Daybreak takes the listener on a vivid maritime expedition, beginning the moment the first rays of light break the darkness of the night and embarking on a lush journey through the early hours of the day and far beyond, until the light slowly fades and night falls once again.
To say this is a cinematic album that is rich in orchestral arrangements, is almost an understatement. It’s a record filled with lush compositions that are bold, sweeping and engulfing, as well as subtle, tender and contained, as he harnesses the full range and power of a string orchestra. “It was inspiring to really dig deep into my love for all of the colors that you can get out of the orchestra,” Danell explains. “The shimmering elements of a woodwind section on top of the deep colorful landscape of the string chamber. This record is deeply inspired by my love for soundtracks, OST records and library music.”
While Danell is the sole man behind this project, one that has already established such a strong and singular identity, there’s contributors who have brought this one to life too. A huge bunch of Swedish jazz musicians who are also close friends feature, as does the legendary drummer and producer Malcolm Catto played, while the strings were recorded with the aforementioned Stockholm Studio Orchestra conducted by Erik Arvinder. The end result is perhaps Danell’s most bold and special album to date. “This record has a special place in my heart,” he says. “It took me years to finish and it is the most ambitious album I’ve made. It’s been a ride.” Pre-order:
Tracklist
1. Setting Off
2. Misty Shore
3. Take A Seat
4. Daybreak
5. Still Moorings
6. Scenic Byway
7. Leeward
8. Windward
9. Resting Place
10. Warmer Air
11. Deep Sea
12. Turning Tides
13. Liquid Mountains
