Hello Saferide - "The Quiz"

I'm just about ready to put up a big honkin' collaborative post that I've been working on, but in the meantime I wanted to share this track. Much like Marshmallow Coast's "Never My Love" cover that I just posted, this one has charm to spare.

Hello Saferide is basically the stage name of Swedish pop singer Annika Norlin, as you may be aware. She is not new to blog coverage, and was actually the first participant in the "Said the Guests" feature at Said the Gramaphone. Hello Saferide's 2005 release, Introducing..., was praised by Pitchfork, and she has since followed it up with an EP called Would You Let Me Play This EP Ten Times a Day?. Her style is a bit removed from what I normally latch onto -- what I have heard sometimes feels geared toward a demographic younger than mine, with subject matter like penpals and high school stalkers that is pretty removed from my own existence. However, her recent EP features a particular track, "The Quiz," that is so sweet, and the lyrical content so universal, that it's hard not to like. It's a tender pop song that plays out like a letter to a potential mate, expressing the sort of fears (rational or otherwise) and quirky worries that accompany the start of a relationship. "If I'd fall... would you pick me up?"

Hello Saferide - The Quiz [also video of "The Quiz" on YouTube]

You can learn more at her official site or on MySpace.

Her albums can be purchased from It's a Trap (Admiral Ackbar reference?), who also have the current EP for only $7.

Tracks from prior Hello Saferide releases:
Hello Saferide - Highschool Stalker
Hello Saferide - San Francisco
Hello Saferide - Valentine's Day