sixten – Living Comes With Dying

Living Comes With Dying by sixten – Tova and Sixten Strandell, previously known as Strandels – is unsparing in its examination of loss in its many forms. It was inspired by real life event, and that is what gives the track so much of its beauty and emotional impact.

The siblings tap into some strong imagery right from the opening mention of lilies of the valley. But it’s one that has two meanings: loss, but also love. Those two themes resonate in the lyrics, almost as if they are one, a quality given added depth by the softly sung vocals.

Bargaining with the world, and the self, through stages of grief, that mix of pain and love is given added weight by the folk tones of the arrangement and the short, sweet samples of childlike joy and maternal conversations.

Most important of all, the song reminds us that we cannot hide from grief, because that also means hiding from love, and yourself.

Talking about the song, they revealed, “We felt we couldn’t write about anything other than what our friends were going through. Other topics like love troubles, which we usually write about, became meaningless in comparison. Living Comes With Dying is dedicated to those who have lost their dearest loved ones and serves as a reminder of the importance of continuing to support cancer research.”

Living Comes With Dying, which will appeal to fans of ViVii and First Aid Kit, is out now via TEN and is streaming on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. Other streaming options and news from sixten can be found on their Facebook and Instagram pages.