Biography

An Echoic's music is one of those rare gems that encourage you to push beyond your usual listening habits, subtly taking notice of its quirky quality. What started as a solo experiment in 2016 after dropping out of jazz school became a solid artistic project for Martin Kihlstedt, Swedish singer-songwriter. His style can remind you of Andy Shauf combined with Tame Impala's early psychedelics, with a tendency towards experimental songwriting that you’d rather associate with Radiohead. An Echoic is not afraid to sing tales about the rough edges of existence. He tackles tough topics with the clinical curiosity of a shaman-philosopher: “I’m always intrigued when I hear stories told by people that have been through unimaginable things. So I wanted to write a story like that.” The fascination for subtle musical quirkiness developed through years of playing and improvising since his early days in Sweden. He continued to craft this particular style while studying jazz for 2 years in Toronto, where he played and performed with various jazz, funk, and blues ensembles. His two EPs "An Echoic EP" (2016) and "Headless Heathen" (2018) go beyond typical alt-folk expectations. Unconventional harmony and sound design are two of his recurrent themes.