As the one year anniversary of the death of the late and great Tim Bergling, better known to the world as Avicii, approaches in just a few short days, we’ve been gifted with the first single off his posthumous album. The title — “SOS.”
This track features Avicii’s industry comrade Aloe Blacc, whom he worked with on his hit single “Wake Me Up.” While “SOS” is perfectly produced with an upbeat, melodic rhythm that’s clearly infectious from the get-go, the lyrics spewed by the vocalist present a haunting contradiction to its beat as Aloe Blacc sings “I can feel your love pulling me up from the underground.”
While the opening line “Can you hear me? SOS” is by far the most clear and daunting of them all, the lyrics that speak to sleepless nights and restless minds lead us all to wonder where and in what state Avicii’s genius mind was in as he produced what would become one of his last pieces of work.
In a recent New York Times article, Avicii’s father Klas Bergling revealed that the producer did not leave a letter following his death. For many people, including his family, this album might pose as the missing “letter” that offers answers or, if anything, some peace of mind. But for some, it will simply be a keepsake to hold close and enjoy.
The New York Times article stated that a few of his friends “have chosen not to speculate much on the motivations behind his death. And while they’ve heard the new lyrics, they loath to look too closely at them for clues.” Meanwhile, other close friends of Avicii’s, like music producer, and core team member Carl Falk, made it clear that they’re very much haunted by the words in the album. In the article, Falk said “Now, when I listen, I hear a lonely person with a lot of big emotions that he didn’t have enough people to talk to about…I feel this music was his way of getting some of that out. That makes this a really important record. Whatever Tim wanted to say is here.”
Avicii’s “SOS” is the first single to be released from his upcoming posthumous album, Tim. Before the late artist took his own life last April, he was working on a number of new songs, but not one of them had been completed. When Avicii’s family decided that they wanted to release his music in an album form, close friends and producers Albin Nedler and Kristoffer Fogelmark stepped in to help finish the tracks including “SOS.”
Tim will be released on June 6 and all net proceeds will go towards the Tim Bergling Foundation, which will launch on April 20, the one-year anniversary of Avicii’s death. The foundation will be advocating for suicide prevention and mental health awareness, among other causes.
Listen to Avicii “SOS” featuring Aloe Blacc below on Spotify
Watch – The Story Behind “SOS” ft. Aloe Blacc
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