Tobias Bernstrup – Petrichor (Album – Nadanna)
Genre/Influences: Italo-Disco, Electro-Pop.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.
Background/Info: Swedish artist Tobias Bernstrup once defined himself as ‘Queer, Artist, Futuristic, Italo-Gothic, Synth-Pop, Musician and Performer’. “Petrichor” is the artist’s sixth full length album featuring eleven songs plus seven remixes.
Content: Entering “Petrichor” is a way to discover a styled Electro-Pop album with explicit elements of Italo-Disco. It’s not a coincidence that one of the songs is a cover version of Red 7’s “Heartbeat”. But the work is more diversified although always accomplished with strong melody lines, danceable rhythms and Bernstrup’s clear, sensual timbre of voice.
Remixes have been provided by SanFranDisko, DMT Berzerk, Ash Code, Supermatik, Qual, Xeno & Oaklander and We The North.
+ + + : The previous album “Technophobic:” already was a great and successful work. This new opus only confirms the writing skills of the artist; Bernstrup has a nose to compose danceable, styled, sexy and melodic Electro-Pop. Sometimes moving into pure Italo-Disco, it all comes together in a harmonious and fully accomplished work. This is a new opus that will appeal for 80s lovers. The multiple subtle effects and arrangements are getting us back to the most happy Electro-Pop formats, but still to the ‘kitsch’ of Italo-Disco. Four singles have been already released; songs you’ll (re)discover at “Petrichor”, but there are more potential singles and hits and especially “Loderunner” is a favorite one. Previously released singles like “Stranger” and “Only One”, both are brilliant cuts as well. Among the remixes I especially recommend listening to DMT Berzerk and Supermatik.
– – – : I don’t see real minus points, but “Technophobic” remains my favorite opus.
Conclusion: I’ve always liked the word ‘petrichor’, which means ‘a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather’. It now became a beautiful metaphor to define the sound of Tobias Bernstrup.
Best songs: “Loderunner”, “Stranger”, “Only One”, “Private Eyes”, “Stranger” + “Private Eye – DMT Berzerk Remix”, “Only One – Supermatik Remix”.
Rate: 8½.
Artist: www.bernstrup.com / www.facebook.com/tobias.bernstrup.3
Label: www.facebook.com/NadannaItaloSynthRecords
About Tobias Bernstrup
Tobias Bernstrup is a Swedish musician, performer and visual artist, listed on Discogs as based in Gothenburg. His recorded output runs from "Images Of Love" in 1998 through "27" in 2002, "Killing Spree" in 2005, "Hitman" and "1984" in 2009, "Strange Land" and "Sing My Body Electric" in 2011, "Romanticism" in 2015, "Utopia" in 2017 and "Technophobic" in 2018, with the singles "Private Eye" and "Ardore" following in 2020.
"Petrichor" was issued by Nadanna in 2021 as a limited CD and as a limited, numbered vinyl LP pressed by Record Industry, alongside the digital edition. It carries eleven songs and seven remixes, with contributions from SanFranDisko, DMT Berzerk, Ash Code, Supermatik, Qual, Xeno & Oaklander and We The North.
Bernstrup spoke to Side-Line about his approach to electronic pop in the 2019 ‘Click Interview’ with Tobias Bernstrup. His seventh album, "Shadow Dancer", followed on Nadanna in 2025 and is covered in a later Tobias Bernstrup interview.
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