Exclusive Premiere: Swedish Artist Bonander’s Emphatic Dark Pop on ‘Gone In The Wind’

In lamenting the loss of someone she considered a sister, Swedish dark pop artist Ellinor Sterner Bonander (who goes by her last name) evokes a heavy-hearted, stomping sound with her latest single “Gone In The Wind.” 

The new song from the Stockholm artist — who has been releasing goth-inflected alt pop since 2017 under the moniker Bonander — was written in late 2019 and then taken to co-producer Elias Ortiz in the summer of 2020. “For me this track represents an anger that’s been boiling beneath the surface, and how it finally erupts as a result of holding something locked up inside you for many years,” Bonander says. 

Invoking themes of existentialism as well as “feminist revolt” as a press release puts it, Bonander has so far released songs like “Martha” and “Backseat” which form a narrative arc of sorts together. “Gone In The Wind” is part of Bonander’s upcoming debut full-length album Things We Don’t Talk About, releasing in May via Swedish label Icons Creating Evil Art. Bonander proclaims the new track as “the most redemptive and dramatic” one on the record.  She adds, “The lyrics get more complicated and connects to the feminist aspect of the album, since it’s about a girl and a mother figure. We need to talk about women being human and making mistakes, without making them out to be whores or sinners or devils. Motherhood can’t be the only thing that define us (still it’s one of the strongest forces in the world, once used).” 

In the video directed by Johan Lundsten, Bonander is shown solitary under a spotlight but also transported to a vibrant celebratory-like scene, with friends (and the artist herself) in onesies and costumes. She describes the video making process as very emotion but also fun. “It’s always hard to do one-takes though, and parts of the video demand huge focus. If you mess it up you may be out of party poppers… you’ll have to watch the video to understand why that’s a problem, though,” she says. 

With the album coming up on May 28th, Bonander says it’s been a long road to completion (“unforeseen delays, as everything else in this world right now,” she notes). Nevertheless, the artist vows to find creative ways to promote the album this year, via gigs, livestreams and other video performances. “I don’t know, but I’ll keep finding ways to play,” Bonander says. 

Watch the video for “Gone In The Wind” below. The song is out on all streaming platforms on February 12th.