There’s a wide range of styles and influences at play on Lilly Ahlberg’ debut EP Call Me. Perhaps that’s not surprising given the young singer-songwriter’s nomadic life: she was born in Italy but also spent time living in the UK and Australia, though spent a good chunk of her young life in Sweden, growing up in the small town of Älmhult, the place that gave the world the flat-pack furniture behemoth IKEA.

It’s perhaps this Scandinavian laidback cool that shines through most prominently in her music. After learning to play the guitar at age fourteen after her brother taught her to play Tracy Chapman’s classic Fast Car, Ahlberg began uploading covers to Youtube, where she began to amass quite a fanbase, clocking up well over one hundred thousand followers to date.

After dropping her debut single Bad Boys in 2018, Ahlberg next contributed vocals to the Sonny Fodera hit The Moment. Now she is dropping her debut EP Call Me, declaring on her official website: “I’m so excited to finally be releasing my first EP! It is a collection of songs that I’ve written over my first few years of living in London. They represent my highs and lows of falling in love and finding myself through adolescence to adulthood.”

The EP opens with new single and title track Call Me, which was written in collaboration with Justin Tranter (Lady Gaga, Ariane Grande, Linkin Park), produced by Jerker Hansson (Charli XCX, Panic! At the Disco, Zara Larsson) and mixed by Anthony Kilhoffer (Kanye West and winner of four Grammy awards). It’s a contemporary lyric with a slick minimalist beat that evolves into a modern pop classic.

Why Do I Miss You is another frightfully clever pop track, with Ahlberg’s voice tweaked with electro effects as the track builds from its gentle intro into a thoroughly rousing affair. Moonlight pairs Ahlberg’s rich vocals wonderfully with an acoustic guitar while Naked is a playful offering. Hurting is perhaps the EPs most experimental track, ghostly electric guitars perfectly framing some of Ahlberg’s finest vocals, while Fool closes things in style, an edgy slice of minimalist pop.

Celebrating the release on her official Facebook page, Ahlberg wrote: “Call Me EP IS FINALLY OUT! Thank you to Spotify for adding it only so many NMF playlists you are the best! Also thank you to all my co-writers and producers on this EP you are all amazing! I hope you all enjoy it!” In truth, it’s the sort of EP you can’t help but enjoy: smart, soulful pop that raises a smile.

Call Me tracklist:

1. Call Me

2. Why Do I Miss You

3. Moonlight

4. Naked

5. Hurting

6. Fool

Watch the official video for Call Me here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.