Interview with Livets Symfonier

Consisting of songs written over six years with lyrics that highlight strong emphasis on the contrast between childhood and the betrayals and wounds of adulthood, Marcus Ekdahl, who goes by the stage name Livets Symfonier, released a debut album entitled Min blomstertid & sorgen on May 23 this year.

Min blomstertid & sorgen is an album with very in-depth, profoundly personal themes; the multitudes that contain both security and chaos, Östergötland summers, and late nights where shadows of fractured homes, drugs, and loneliness creep in. As someone who spent his childhood in Vikingstad, a lot of Livets Symfonier’s songs cover topics that revolve around the agonizing shift from the safety of childhood days to parents separating– how the idea of childhood is almost like an equivalent of an endless summer, while the unforeseen chapters of adulthood could feel as if the shadows are creeping in closer to you.

Not only that this album covers topics related to childhood, it also incorporates more emotionally intense themes as well, such as drug problems among friends, heartbreak, grief, anxiety, and existential pondering– despite the dark themes being explored in the lyrics, still, the songs carry hints of warmth and hopefulness. There are certain lyrics under various topics I especially find interesting, including «Samlade kraft för att känna mig vanlig» (existential-themed), «Du hade knark i lådan / Men du var aldrig själv» (drug problems), and «Ful och falsk, jag ska bränna varje ord vi sagt / I elden i natt / Så jag kan släppa din hand» (heartbreak)– but my favorite lyric line from Livets Symponier is definitely «Håll om mig sommaren / Allt är kärlek.» because in contrast to the majority of the dark themes being explored, this one still emphasizes hopefulness and genuine love.

As a project, Livets Symfonier is the epitome of both harmony and dissonance at once; how we try to play our own melody, even when everything feels raw– the art of letting everything flow without resistance or a tight grip. It’s almost like the representation of certain rites of passage, such as end-of-school ceremonies or leaving behind a certain hometown – and also the perfect depiction of the contrast between light and darkness.

Ralka Skjerseth on behalf of disharmoni decided to have a brief talk with Livets Symfonier himself – the man behind this whole project and the Min blomstertid & sorgen album.

Congrats on the release of your debut album Min blomstertid & sorgen! How do you feel about the release of this debut?

— It feels really good to finally have started this project. It has been a very fun process, and I probably couldn’t be more satisfied. I am incredibly grateful that my friend Jonathan wanted to record this album with me.

So far, my top three favorite tracks from your album are «Årstiderna», «Aldrig normal», and «Höll kärleken». Can you tell me concise, brief stories behind each of the tracks?

— «Årstiderna» (The Seasons) is about experiencing the seasons for the first time with a new romantic partner, and being terrified of getting hurt in the early stages. «Aldrig normal» (Never Normal) is about my former best friend and his drug abuse, which led to the breakdown of our relationship. «Höll kärleken» (Held the Love) is about my first love, and how the grief surrounding it often returned in the autumn.

What is it like to experience a childhood in Vikingstad according to your personal narrative?

— I had a really nice childhood in a small community outside Linköping. I spent a lot of time in green areas and by lakes during my upbringing there. I often miss it, especially since I’ve been living in suburbs and big cities since I was 16.

What was the inspiration behind using seasons as metaphors to describe the ideas of emotional landscape and contrasts between childhood and growing older?

— The seasons change just like emotions do. I often connect memories to the season they happen in, so it became a natural part of my writing. Since many of the songs are about things that happened when I was younger but were written as an adult, there was a shift in perspective. They probably wouldn’t have been written the same way if I had written them at the time everything happened.

You’ve said that the discourses regarding drugs —especially narratives surrounding drug problems among friends— are one of the integral themes of this album. Can you tell me more about it?

— It was a central part of my social life in my teens and into adulthood. «Aldrig normal» highlights the grief of losing contact with one of my closest friends due to escalating drug abuse. We developed rather unhealthy relationships with drugs and alcohol, which shaped much of my adult life and caused confusion within me. After all, we’re taught early on that we can change our feelings with chemicals, that grief can be replaced with something else. Much of my own anxiety was likely suppressed during those years. I find it hard to write songs about the “good” things in life, so music became a platform for saying things I’ve had trouble expressing in other ways.

This album is heavy on exploring many types of love; ones that didn’t last and ones that did; ones that lasted in loneliness, ones that you thought resulted in security. How do you view love according to your perspective as both a creative soul; a musician, and an individual?

— I believe that love, for me, is what drives music forward. Many of the songs are about love for friends, family, and romantic partners. Not just happy love, but also the kind that can be heartbreaking. I can’t really write music from hate. Even though love isn’t always as magical as it is in Disney movies, it’s the reason I wrote these songs in the first place. There’s no reason for me to write songs about relationships I don’t care about or haven’t held close to my heart. When I think about love outside of artistry, it’s not that different, really. I believe love is necessary for humans to exist and to thrive in general, whether it’s love for a friend, a parent, or a romantic partner.

You’ve said that this album contains songs written over six years. Why did it take you six years to finally gather your songs altogether and compile them as an album?

— I’ve previously released two albums in English and have mostly written music in English. The Swedish project has therefore been a slow process where I’ve had to learn how to write songs in my mother tongue. It’s very clear, I think, in the song «Livets symfoni» (Life’s Symphony), which was the first song I wrote for the album. It also took time to write enough songs and include as many parts of my life as I wanted. Writing and releasing the songs became very important to me personally. It might be a cliché, but creating this album has been the most therapeutic experience I’ve ever had.

Why did you choose the themes surrounding childhood (and its contrast with adulthood) as one of the primary emphases of the album?

— The sound of the album feels like childhood to me, while the lyrics highlight teenage and adult life. This wasn’t planned; it happened unconsciously. I forgot a lot of my childhood because of the grief that came later, so maybe the album became a way for me to reclaim it.

What do you think is the most beautiful thing about contrasts– especially the ones narrated on this album; light and darkness, loss and love, the security of childhood and the impending dread of adulthood?

— Contrasts are always necessary. You appreciate the good days because the bad ones exist, and vice versa. Mental health struggles are a recurring theme on the album, a theme many of us can relate to. Personally, I’ve suffered a lot of anxiety from early adolescence into adulthood, and I believe on the days when it feels a bit lighter, you are truly grateful. I mean, really grateful. You don’t take it for granted. Relationships that end and relationships that endure, childhood simplicity and adult responsibilities—one doesn’t exist without the other. Just like the seasons, I probably wouldn’t have appreciated summer as much without a cold winter.

Last question— outside of your personal experiences, what musicians, books, or movies influenced you during the creative process of this album, if there are any?

— It’s a bit hard to say, since it’s such a long journey. I’ve never been able to write music so that it sounds exactly how I want; I have more rock in me than my music wants to show. But maybe that’s because I have no formal music education. Haha… The melodies just turn out how they turn out, but the lyrics are always a conscious choice. I listen to a lot of different genres, so it feels weird to point out specific musicians. It’s probably a mix of everything that reaches my ears.

— Of course, my friends have inspired me a lot, many of whom appear on the album: Jonathan Lundén (Tiger & Träden), who produced it and plays drums, bass, and piano on the songs; Petter Carlsson and Wilma Holmes, who sing on several tracks; Alec Rembratt (Rain Stall), who was in the band on the summer 2025 tour; my older brother Filip, whose old chord progression inspired the song «Kom sorg» (Come Grief). A friend of mine, Leonard Rode, took a photo of a person lying in a bed on a meadow. When I saw that picture, I had just written Årstiderna, and I immediately felt that it captured exactly how I wanted the album to feel.