Don’t You Worry, Child – They’re Back: Swedish House Mafia Returns

At their heyday, Swedish House Mafia was consistently churning out chart-topping hits. Wildly popular in both the EDM scene and

Swedish House Mafia

At their heyday, Swedish House Mafia was consistently churning out chart-topping hits. Wildly popular in both the EDM scene and mainstream music, the band’s popularity grew by the year. It was a devastating blow when they announced they would be breaking up in 2012. They’ve made a few appearances here and there since breaking up, but the news fans have long been waiting for has finally broken; Swedish House Mafia has returned, and they’re back with a new song.

Mysterious Posters Hint at Return

Swedish House Mafia Billboards

Swedish House Mafia has been mostly silent since September 2019. While they certainly would not be the only band whose 2020 plans were set afire by the pandemic, they went way beyond, going so far as to wipe their Instagram account. So fans were pleasantly surprised back in February of 2021 when the band started sharing news again; they were apparently working together again in a studio, in a mountain chalet perhaps somewhere in Sweden or Norway according to the pictures. The most recent sign of movement came from a podcast with Jordi Presa who announced via Instagram that a video would be released for the group on 7/14/21. Presa is an Ibiza-based videographer who has worked with the band in the past, including on their reunion tour.

And then came the posters. When the posters began arriving a few days after Presa’s podcast, no one was entirely sure they were related to Swedish House Mafia. After years of very little news, and a year of zero news, the mysterious posters that first appeared in Melbourne, Australia, had people scratching their heads. The posters were black, with three dots, and a date: 7/15/21. At first, fans assumed it was one of their ranks playing around. Then, a PR team began circulating releases to media asking to share a few Swedish House Mafia music videos although they kept details vague; it was for a “profile awareness campaign.”

Swedish House Mafia Billboards

Then, one of the biggest EDM YouTube channels in the world, Proximity, broke the news that a source close to the music trio had confirmed; they would be releasing a new song on July 15th. Shortly after that, the mysterious promo posters began appearing in New York City Times Square, Stockholm, Sweden, and Mexico City. The Swedish House Mafia website updated yesterday to show the new three-dot logo, confirming the connection with the posters.

And finally, some more visual confirmations. Groove Cartel wrote, “Last but not least, the new cover art of the alleged song coming out this Friday has been released. The screenshot comes from an AD poster on Spotify where you can clearly see the artists, title track, and cover art. Lifetime seems to be the track’s name and it features 070 Shake, an American hip hop recording artist, as well as Ty Dolla Sign.”

The trio topped off the whole mysterious promo campaign with a picture of the three of them, shared on Instagram. They’re dressed all in black and covered in a tangled mass of black wires; they appear to be sleeping.

Swedish House Mafia’s Rebirth

Sal XO

So now that we know they’re back, how did they get here? Swedish House Mafia, made up of members Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso was on top of the world at the height of their music careers. The group dissolved in 2012 when the trio admitted that they couldn’t figure out what their future should look like. After the group broke up in 2012, fans hoped they would regroup but never believed it would actually happen. They did play two reunion tours in 2018, and 2019. While that helped heal fans’ broken hearts a little bit, they didn’t produce any new music as the band wasn’t technically back together.

It all seems to have turned around in April of 2021. The trio hired a new managerWassim “Sal” Slaiby. Slaiby is the same genius manager behind music sensation The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye. Slaiby’s keen innovation and business acumen is likely responsible for the successful buildup of hype leading to today’s single release.

Although it should be noted; the group’s massive success and musical talent returning from the ether is probably enough to generate their own hype. The theatrics are definitely fun, though.

The Group’s Revival Mirrors EDM’s Rebirth

 
 
 
 
 
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Swedish House Mafia coming back right now is emblematic of the entire EDM industry. After 2020 caused the live music scene to shut down almost entirely, bands have had a year to either come together or fall apart. In EDM, artists are solo more often than not with the exception of frequent collaborations. So it was a year of reflection, thought, and planning. For Swedish House Mafia, that meant crafting something new and beautiful out of the ashes of what came before.

Since that’s exactly what the live entertainment industry has been doing, it’s pure poetry that sees the trio returning right now just as the entire music scene springs back to life. Fans are waiting with bated breath; after all, their favorite group returning from the ashes is nothing short of a chance of a “Lifetime.”

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