We’ve got to admit it, we’re rather intrigued by this mysterious and – we’re guessing, unofficially appointed – member of the Swedish royal family. The name, for a start. Possibly a nod to Shakespeare’s Prince of Denmark, one Hamlet? Could be. If the mental turning over of the slings of arrows of misfortune in ‘A Little Candlelight’ is anything to go on, they definitely share a sense of questioning and self-examination at the very least.
Then there’s the promotional photo that accompanied the tune. Our man the Prince staring into the camera with a slightly nervous puppy dog stare, looking not unlike Johnny Depp in hipster glasses.
But most of all it’s the music. ‘A Little Candelightt’, his debut single, is hard to pin down. The Prince declares that his love for Leonard Cohen underpins the writing of this particular four minute stretch of music and it’s true there are parallels between their two voices, low, baritone and evocative. The music itself is unashamedly retro, at least with an identifyingly 69s slant. Lightly psychedelic guitar touches and restless chord changes hold sway over a beat that could be Ringo or Charlie Watts in fairly laid back mode,
The song itself is a straight up tale of lost love and heartache, from its opening line, inquiring “did he break the spell, the illusion that you don’t need anyone else” to the image of youth itself as having a “drink in hand and his lips round a loaded gun.” There’s a sense of whisky-soaked doom in the air that makes comparisons with early solo period Scott Walker relevant ones too. Though we suspect the Prince would also find favour with fans of slightly newer names like Nick Cave and Father John Misty. That said, while there are plenty of classic reference points to ‘A Little Candlelight’, it ultimately ploughs its own furrow and nods to rather than steals from the past. Nice work, we can’t wait to hear more.