Darin "Ta mig tillbaka" - Review

When we first heard that Darin would be releasing new music, we were thrilled. Ever since his debut on the first season of Swedish Idol, Darin has been one of the most consistent pop-stars in all of Sweden. With 6 studio albums under his belt, Darin has now brought the latest stage in his artistic development by transitioning to making music in the Swedish language. Upon hearing the title, "Ta mig tillbaka," we assumed it would be another weepy song about begging a girl to take her ex back. But shame on us for jumping to such a hasty conclusion when this is Darin 'King of Swed-Pop' Zanyar we're dealing with here. Instead of another cliched song about love/relationships that you've heard a million times before, Darin has delivered the sleeper-hit of Swed-pop for the season. With a 'Simon and Garfunkel'-esque folksy feel, "Ta mig tillbaka" is a song reminiscing of the simplicity of childhood and earlier stages in life, referencing MTV and 8-bit amongst other mementos. The melody is incredibly beautiful with harmonies and layered vocals giving stunning texture. Though we normally prefer to look at the more up-tempo, schlager-esque Swed-pop, Darin is one of the strongest artists in Sweden. This is a man who knows how to develop a vision for the next stage in his career and follow through with it. If "Tag mig tillbaka" is any indication of what's to come from his next album, we'll be first in line to get it. Sure, that's not even a thing anymore, but Darin has believing we've been transported back to the time where we'd do such a thing.

The music video is a lovely accompaniment to the song, as it combines shots of Darin enjoying parts of Stockholm city, Swedish nature, and raw footage of childhood videos. For once, we are treated to a music video that feels genuine and not a poor imitation of concepts done by artists with bigger budgets. Darin is serving up an indie single but still makes it work for the masses. Bravo, Darin, bravo.