Heaven Is Where She Is

Hammarin & Robin “Hell Knows I’m In Love”

Hammarin, the singer of this new pop duo from Sweden, has a tremendously flamboyant and theatrical vocal affectation, to the point where it’s easy to hear him and wonder if he’s just making fun of guys like Antony and Andy Bell from Erasure. Oh no no no no. This guy may be campy, but he’s incredibly sincere, and his style is perfect suited to the high drama of this song in which he weighs the pros and cons of committing himself to the notion of being in love. It’s about casting aside fear of pain, and taking the risk that it all may work out. His over-the-top delivery is precisely what the song demands — the arrangement, lyrics, and melody convey a very earnest yearning and an admirable measure of courage, and he just nails it, particularly as he resolves to go all in on the climax. Falling in love may be mundane as a statistical phenomenon, but on an individual level, it’s rare and special and momentous and terrifying, and this song is totally present in that state of mind.

Get the double a-side single for free from the Mad For It label.