Journal

Words

Notes from Igor Iov on the making of the debut album «5 to 9», writing around a day job, and the ideas behind the songs.

· 4 min

If You Like sombr, Role Model or Dayglow

If sombr, Role Model and Dayglow live on your playlists, here is an honest map of where my music sits next to theirs, and where it doesn't.

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· 4 min

Making a Record Between Two Cities

«5 to 9» got built across Geneva and Stockholm, mostly over file transfers and train rides. Here is how the two-city workflow actually ran, mistakes and all.

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· 3 min

What «5 to 9» Actually Means

The album title flips the usual number. Less about the job, more about the life you live in the hours around it.

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· 4 min

The Songs That Came Before «5 to 9»

Before the album there were singles, an EP, a couple of features. A quick tour through the songs already on Spotify and what each one taught me on the way here.

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· 4 min

Writing Songs Around a Day Job

I still work in finance. People assume that's the compromise. I've come to think it's the reason the songs are honest.

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· 4 min

Making Music in Switzerland

What it is actually like to be a Swiss-Serbian songwriter in Lausanne, writing in English for a scene that is small but real.

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· 4 min

The Year That Changed My Writing: Musikmakarna

A year inside Sweden's songwriting academy taught me the craft I'd been faking. Here's what I brought back.

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· 3 min

How the Record Sounds, and Who It's For

Real instruments, not just samples. A decade of playing live. Mixed between Stockholm and Geneva. If these artists live in your playlist, this record wants the next slot.

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