Malmö indie dreampop duo, Wy, return with their third album, Marriage, which is out through their new home label, Rama Lama Records. Like its title suggests, the new album bases its concept on the relationship of Ebba and Michel Gustafsson Ågren who have been together for a very long time, and created their new work two years into their marriage.
After the rawer, more wistful direction of their 2017 debut Okay, and the slightly more polished indie pop of their sophomore full length Softie, Wy progress by talking glimpses at their past, trying a direct approach to their songwriting through more elaborate and tighter collaboration, and enhancing the levels of intimacy and sentimentality which were already prominent factors of what they do.
“I have always written the lyrics,” says Ebba. “But this time they feel like our lyrics, and not just my diary set to our music. We've talked a lot with each other about what we want to say. About who we are and where we can find our place in the world. The title has been in place since we started, and that was because a lot of the songs revolved around our relationship since we got married. Not so much the relationship between us, but more about the internal conflicts that appear when you’re in a long-term, safe relationship, where you’re really sure about each other, but you’re not sure about yourself.”
Marriage quickly evolved from an EP idea into a fully extensive and abundant project which the duo shaped into a third album, all done with the band being without the support of a label while creating.
“We didn’t have a contract or a set plan,” Ebba explains, “so we just went where the music wanted to go, and would decide what we were gonna do with it when it was done. It felt exciting and freeing. I think we did a lot of things we wouldn’t have done if we were continuing to show the process to people like we did before. There was a point where the vibe of the album suddenly changed, and became what it is now, and it’s quite different to what it was when we started writing it.”
Without promoting it with many singles in advance, Wy released their third album as genuinely and gracefully as they put it together, and the result stands as elegant as their acclaimed previous work, and like a major turning point for the duo.
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