AUSTIN, TX – It was sometime mid-afternoon when I wandered over to the RIVIAN Stage at SXSW—still buzzing from the last set, not entirely sure what I was walking into next. But that’s part of the thrill of South By: trusting your instincts. Yndling had been on my radar for a minute, thanks to her single It’s Almost Like You’re Here—a dream-pop gem that fuses vulnerability and restraint into something heartbreakingly beautiful. That track, with its featherlight textures and emotionally weighty chorus, had me intrigued. I knew I had to catch her set.
Onstage, Yndling delivered what I can only describe as quiet devastation in pastel tones. There’s an innocent sensuality to her presence—never forced, always organic.
Her music floats, but it’s grounded. Her most recent EP, I’m in the Palm of Your Hand (released June 6th), features the standout single Even If It’s a Lie (I Don’t Mind), which left a deep impression on me. I was struck by the delicate glissando on the word “Say” that opens each chorus—a subtle production choice that reveals so much about her artistry. It lands like a soft exhale, intimate enough to feel like it was meant just for you.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone clinging to a connection already slipping away—“Say I’m all you need / Even if it’s a lie, I don’t mind.” It’s not just a line; it’s a plea suspended between logic and longing. There’s something deeply human about asking for comfort, even when it’s borrowed.
At SXSW, Yndling—the project of Norwegian singer Silje Espevik—had the crowd completely locked in. Her voice—airy, emotive, and laced with just enough ache—felt like it tethered us all to some unspoken understanding.
Since its release just two months ago, Even If It’s a Lie (I Don’t Mind) has quietly amassed over 100,000 streams on Spotify, and Yndling now counts over 80,000 monthly listeners. These aren’t blockbuster numbers—yet—but they’re the kind of stats that signal something real is growing. This is music that people return to. It’s honest, it’s textured, and it’s not trying to be anything but itself.
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