ALMA today unveils her eagerly anticipated second album
‘Time Machine’. Earning widespread critical acclaim for her blend of energising alt-pop and searingly honest confessional lyrics, the album campaign saw the flame-haired
Finnish artist connect with a huge audience when
‘Summer Really Hurt Us’ was
A-listed at
Radio 2 before
‘Tell Mama’ received
Radio 1airplay from
Clara Amfo.
ALMA has also continued to earn a range of famous and influential fans, who now include
Elton John,
Miley Cyrus,
Charli XCX,
Robyn,
Tove Lo and
Max Martin.
In addition to ‘Summer Really Hurt Us’ and ‘Tell Mama’, ALMA previewed ‘Time Machine’ with the tracks ‘Everything Beautiful’, ‘I Forgive Me’ and ‘Hey Mom Hey Dad’. It’s a set in which ALMA’s modernist Nordic pop is infused with timeless songwriting influences such as ABBA and Elton John, while her larger-than-life personality and impeccably powerful vocal tell brutally honest tales born from true life experiences.
Alma says, “This album’s key message is finding your own voice. Every song is like an honest conversation in my head: sometimes with my family; sometimes with my partner; sometimes even with my old classmates. Some of the conversations are painful and deep, others are light and ironic. As the ‘Time Machine’ title suggests, I go back in time to discuss both the lowlights and the highlights of my life.”
The brand new songs that feature on ‘Time Machine’ also see ALMA exposing her vulnerabilities, anxieties and fears. It starts on a high with the gloriously optimistic, life-for-the-moment ‘Dreaming’ before digging deeper into her soul as the album progresses. ALMA’s girlfriend is a recurring inspiration, especially for ‘Natalia’ which proved to be the spark that ignited ALMA’s passion for this album project, and she is also the muse behind the pure love song ‘Run Run Run’. There’s a little heartbreak too, with ‘The Cure’ telling the tale of ALMA’s first love, who felt under pressure to remain in the closet.
As previously heard in ‘Hey Mom Hey Dad’ and ‘Tell Mama’, family has been a big part of ALMA’s thoughts when writing this record. That’s a theme which continues in ‘I Will Survive’, which is about her twin sister. The pair were inseparable growing up, and she even played in ALMA’s live band until she quit in 2019 to explore new opportunities. For ALMA it felt as heart wrenching as a break-up, even if they are now closer than ever. Elsewhere, ‘One In A Million’ captures her conflicted feelings while returning to her childhood hometown of Vuosaari on the outskirts of Helsinki, while ‘Stupid People’ channels the spirit of Lily Allen as ALMA unloads her anger at the mental health struggles she has endured.
The title track takes us back to the very start of ALMA’s journey while making this record. The song draws upon the situation ALMA found herself in shortly after her debut album had been released during the middle of Covid. She didn’t know who she was as an artist and the music she was making wasn’t living up to her expectations until she realised that talking about what she calls her “ugly side” – her mistakes and her life story – was the key to unlocking her creativity.
Also key to unlocking ALMA’s creativity was her decision to work locally with a small, select team of collaborators – especially Elvira Anderfjäld (Taylor Swift, Tove Lo). Together with the help of Oscar Görres (Taylor Swift, Sam Smith), Tove Burman (Au/Ra, Anna of the North), Fat Max (The Weeknd, Maisie Peters), Decco (Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez) and Klara Söderberg of First Aid Kit, ALMA looked to her past to inspire the next chapter of her future.
‘Time Machine’ tracklist:
