Charlotte Eriksson, the GlassChild

In terms of what's in-vogue at the moment, there's a definite trend for all things Swedish. Just look at the mega success of Stieg Larsson's brilliant Millennium trilogy in both book and film formats. But here, we turn our attention to the music of that fair country in the form of singer-songwriter Charlotte Eriksson, also known as the GlassChild.

Even the name conjures up images of something delicately fragile, spectral and haunting. There's an ethereal beauty to Charlotte's vocals that speaks straight from the heart. She knows how to make every word count, how to tear the emotion from every syllable. Previously described as a punk version of Bjork and compared to Paramore singer Hayley Williams, her music is about as organic and natural as it comes.

Creepy Little Story is a real joy, one of those instantly pleasurable, chilled-out listens that whatever your current state of mind, sets you at complete ease with the world. Charlotte's voice is impressively strong, particularly in the ad-libs in the second half of the song.

Play Pretend presents a more attitude-laden side to the singer, kicking in with a satisfying crunch of electric guitar. There's a strong sense of Amy MacDonald to this one, Charlotte possessing that same untamed, windswept passion that finds it way into both her voice and music. These are songs of the air and the earth, as if the very spirit of nature has been distilled into these recordings.

Singer-songwriter has become something of a dirty word in recent years, but Charlotte brings it back to what it should be about; strong melodies and a constant emphasis on the talent contained in the tracks. In a competitive world, you don't have long to leave your mark, but Charlotte makes certain she does; Play Pretend in particular biting in, latching on to your senses.

Also marking Charlotte out from her contemporaries is the energy - there's no sitting on your laurels lazily strumming away on a guitar here. It's here that the Paramore comparisons hold the most weight; I'm Hidden So Well in particular infused with the spirit of punkiness that Hayley Williams has made a career out of channeling. Yet even in the hardest, most angsty moments of the music, songs like I'll Never Tell see Charlotte maintaining a constant sweetness to her vocals - imagine early Avril Lavigne back when she was delivering impassioned emo-pop ballads.

Speaking of her music, there are some really nice quotes from her too like "I think you have to decide what kind of person you wanna be. Do you wait for things to happen, or do you make them happen yourself? I believe in writing your own story." How poetic.

The GlassChild EP is released on April 25th.