Born out of a long-distance correspondence, Sweden/New York-based transatlantic duo Fuses craft songs that feel like signals sent across oceans. Their debut album, ‘Sawdust in the Transmission’ via Having Fun Records, the rock imprint of Toronto’s We Are Busy Bodies, bridges geography and emotion with a sound steeped in 60s folk rock and classic country. Echoing the timeless jangle of The Byrds, the pastoral storytelling of Fairport Convention, and the bittersweet warmth of artists like Gram Parsons and Jason Molina, the record connects the Swedish urskog with the Canadian muskeg. Lush vocal harmonies and reverb-soaked steel guitar create a sound that is both melancholic and hopeful, timeless yet uncommon.
Drummer and bassist Moa-Linn Rosenlöf (Orkan, Spela Död) first met guitarist Craig Fahner when his Toronto-based group Motorists played Gothenburg in 2024. What began as a chance meeting quickly evolved into a daily creative exchange. Visa complications ultimately derailed plans to reunite in New York City, but the setback became the catalyst for the album. Instead, the pair spent a week sending Ableton sessions back and forth across the Atlantic, planting the seeds for a collection of songs that would later be brought to life during a dedicated recording session at Gothenburg’s legendary Nacksving Studios, a site deeply connected to Sweden’s 1970s political progg movement. The week proved especially momentous: the day after completing the recordings, the duo traveled to a courthouse in Borås and were married, sealing both their creative and personal partnership.
Throughout Sawdust in the Transmission, Fuses blur the boundaries between their respective musical histories. Both seasoned musicians, Rosenlöf primarily as a drummer and Fahner as a guitarist, challenged one another by frequently switching instruments during the songwriting process. This role reversal opened new creative pathways and helped shape the album’s distinctive character. Stylistically, the record weaves together psych, folk rock, and classic country influences, embracing the idea of songs as “sound pictures” that transport listeners to the landscapes of their shared story: frozen Canadian prairies, old-growth Swedish forests, and the restless pulse of the modern city.
Album highlight “Garden of Ashes,” accompanied by a grainy Super 8-style video, captures the duo’s retro aesthetic and collaborative spirit. Built around a timeless folk-rock riff, the track unfolds as a post-apocalyptic narrative about a girl with eyes the colour of the sky, deciding whether to retreat into the underworld or remain in the garden of ashes. The song has quickly become a fan favourite at the duo’s live performances, resonating with listeners through its familiar yet haunting atmosphere.
Other standout moments reveal the emotional and sonic breadth of the record. “Convictions” reflects on steadfast integrity, inspired by Rosenlöf’s parents and their enduring connection to the family farm. The title track, “Drive It Into the Ground,” delivers one of the album’s most energetic performances, its imagery of a crooked mechanic pouring “sawdust in the transmission” serving as a metaphor for the ways people mask their flaws to keep moving forward. The Swedish-language “Bakom Molnen,” translating to “behind the clouds,” offers a slow-burning meditation on change and uncertainty, enriched by delicate harmonies and expansive instrumentation. Meanwhile, “Vemod” explores a uniquely Swedish sense of bittersweet nostalgia, and tracks like “Idle Heart,” “Aniline,” and “Floor is Lava” further showcase the duo’s ability to merge intimate storytelling with cinematic scope.
With Sawdust in the Transmission, Fuses make their debut as personal as it is expansive. Rooted in transatlantic collaboration and shaped by shared histories, the album stands as a testament to connection across distance—geographical, emotional, and musical. Blending timeless influences with a deeply human narrative, Fuses offer a collection of songs that feel both transportive and enduring, marking the arrival of a duo whose story is only just beginning.
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