Loney Dear is the moniker used by multi-instrumentalist and home-recording … Read Full Bio ↴Loney Dear is the moniker used by multi-instrumentalist and home-recording phenomenon, Emil Svanängen (born 29 March 1979 in Jönköping, Sweden).

Until 2009 Svanängen recorded and released four records as Loney, dear. In 2009 he slightly changed this name, skipping the comma and becoming Loney Dear. All albums are now listed under Loney Dear on streaming platforms. but Loney, dear still exists on Last.fm.

Released as Loney, dear:
The Year Of River Fontana (2003)
Citadel Band (2004)
Sologne (2006)
Loney, Noir (2007)

Released as Loney Dear:
Dear John (2009)
Hall Music (2011)
Loney Dear (2017)
A Lantern and a Bell (2021)
Atlantis (live, 2022)
All Things Go (2024)

In either his tiny Stockholm studio apartment or the basement of his parents’ house, and with a dedication bordering upon manic, Emil discreetly builds Loney Dear songs using a modest home studio set-up. The music of Loney Dear has been aptly described as “soulful indie folk with a powerful mini orchestra.”

Layer upon layer, adding instrumentation and vocals, these songs seem to bloom like time-lapse photography, depicting glimpsed scenes of modern disaffection and timeless yearning. When performing live, Loney, dear becomes the band Emil conjures alone in his home studio, and mutates into a full, five-member band complete with guitar, sax, drums, organ and clarinet, shouts and claps.