We first heard the Danish artist Astrid Øster Mortensen as a surprise guest vocalist on Gustaf Dicksson’s Blod album, Missväxt, which Grapefruit released in 2021. New in Gothenburg, the Denmark-born Astrid had been frequenting the Discreet Music shop where various musicians of the underground scene communed and shared their latest projects. Learning that she was a musician too, Gustaf asked Astrid to contribute vocals to Missväxt and it wasn’t long before Astrid handed over a master of her own music which completely floored everyone in the scene who heard it. The recordings eventually materialized as “Gro Mig En Blomst.” An LP which was released in a very small edition on Gustaf’s Förlag För Fri Musik label in March of 2021, causing a sensation of wonder and well-earned praise and some panic due to its scarcity.
‘Gro Mig En Blomst’ is at once wholey immersive and something quite rare- an infectious collection of essentially experimental music derived from familiar organic sounds stitched together with delicate, sometimes improvised music, poetry, and haunting folk melodies. Akin to the pastiches composed by the equally enchanting Gothenburg collective, Enhet For Fri Musik, Astrid’s album is mysteriously irresistible despite offering what most would consider a challenging listen. Astrid Øster Mortensen’s debut LP immediately became an essential release and sold through its 300 copies quickly before the ink was even dry on the superlative reviews. So, it was with great pride and pleasure that Grapefruit worked closely with Astrid to offer this new reissue of her debut album.
‘Gro Mig En Blomst’ is at once wholey immersive and something quite rare- an infectious collection of essentially experimental music derived from familiar organic sounds stitched together with delicate, sometimes improvised music, poetry, and haunting folk melodies. Akin to the pastiches composed by the equally enchanting Gothenburg collective, Enhet For Fri Musik, Astrid’s album is mysteriously irresistible despite offering what most would consider a challenging listen. Astrid Øster Mortensen’s debut LP immediately became an essential release and sold through its 300 copies quickly before the ink was even dry on the superlative reviews. So, it was with great pride and pleasure that Grapefruit worked closely with Astrid to offer this new reissue of her debut album.
