New Music: Club 8 – Birthday

Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård can do no wrong for me, as they once again woo me with their new single, Birthday.

I’m not sure that the song is contemplating a happy birthday, however, as the post-punk/electronic bass line and plaintive jangle of the melancholy have an air of sadness about them. Komstedt’s vocals exemplify much of the ambiguity and ambivalence some of us have about birthdays – yes, they can be fun, but as the spectre of mortality plays a greater role in your life, it becomes harder to not notice a certain unspoken presence, knowing that soon, you will have to take that last journey.

Maybe Club 8 are having a playful dig at those of us that ignore birthdays, as well as those others that treat them as a bacchanal. Even if not, Birthday remains a great song that fans of Saint Etienne and late-80s New Order will love without hesitation.

You can hear Birthday and the rest of Club 8’s 2026 singles on Bandcamp and Spotify. Following them on both sites is the best way to keep abreast of new music from the duo, as they aren’t that active on social media.