With a plucky melody and hauntingly smooth vocals, Denmark’s Nicklas Sahl makes moves towards a global pop takeover with his new single In The Window Frame.

The name Nicklas Sahl might not be known to you yet, but the Danish up-and-comer is making a name for himself in the indie pop scene. He is back again with the third single, In The Window Frame, off his forthcoming album, due out at the end of the summer.

Loneliness and longing are palpable when listening closely to the lamenting lyricism, but summery, feelgood instrumentals aid in disguising the painful emotions. Sahl’s bouncy vocal riffs when he pleads “I just need to know that you’re alive”, further pulling the wool over our eyes. On one hand, it is a delightful pop tune that is easy to bop and sway to, while on the other, it is deeply emotional and mournful. Coupled with a bright, poignant falsetto, In The Window Frame is an excellent depiction of “happy-sad” music. The accompanying video shows Sahl escaping those difficult feelings in the best way he knows how: by working his emotions into a song, one-on-one with his guitar in his home studio.

On his song, Sahl explains:

‘In The Window Frame’ is about the feeling of being stuck in the past. When the loneliness hits you and you get dragged into the illusion of missing the girl, even though you know deep inside that it’s not rational. The classic situation where you are standing in a bar, sending her a text, knowing that you will regret it at the very next moment. In the song, I walk the line and go out and scream her name towards the window frame and wake up all the neighbours. In real life, I go to the studio and write a song about doing it instead. It is easier to tell the story and yell it out from the speakers than out in the real world.