Swedish punk pioneers Vacum emerged in 1979 from the northern industrial city of Sundsvall. Racking up over 150 gigs and three albums before splitting in 1985, their sound evolved from wiry punk into experimental new wave and postpunk electronics. Reformed in 2018, they now return with their first entirely new material since 1985, with fifth album Dum Dum Tiden due in October 2026.
'Minnet av dig' arrives as an introduction to that album and there’s something distinctly claustrophobic about it. The song is an intense, sometimes wayward five-minute-plus journey through sorrow and longing. The slow, desolate verses give way to heavy choruses, while the imagery of wind, sea, mountains and autumn darkness creates an increasingly enclosed atmosphere.
Marina Ammouri’s Ukrainian recitation and powerful backing vocals add another layer of drama to the mix. The repeated chorus refrain of "Minnet av dig" (the memory of you) feels almost obsessive, circling those beautiful memories that remain when someone is gone. It’s a suitably autumnal piece, bleak yet full of human emotion, and a fittingly epic return for the punk veterans.