The Swedish singer/songwriter’s follow-up gleams with maturity.
If Frida Hyvonen’s 2006 debut was a girl stumbling through youth, then Silence Is Wild is the woman that girl became: finally sure of herself. Everything about the Swedish singer/songwriter’s follow-up gleams with maturity, from Carol King–like arrangements to a certain Sylvia Plathness in her words. For all its complexity, Silence isn’t empty of the quirky Frida we all love—even the most serious moments are executed with a wink. "Dirty Dancing" tackles the pains of an old relationship via references to Baby, Johnny, and early-’90s Kylie Minogue. And though "December" is a lyrically dry account of an abortion, each note sounds like an out-of-tune circus organ explaining that, yes, this all feels like a funhouse mirror. She may have grown a bit wiser, but Hyvonen is still her magical self: the girl who is experienced enough to know who she is, yet so funny and smart, you can’t help but want to know her too.