Since reuniting in 2019 after a five-year hiatus, Swedish House Mafia have been meticulously plotting their comeback – but the rollout for their new single “Lioness” has been anything but calculated.
The full story: one year ago
The legendary dance trio of Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Steve Angello first started teasing the track last autumn during their wildly popular Ibiza residency. They continued dropping teasers into early 2024, whipping fans into a frenzy for their first new original music in over a year.
But promised release dates have come and gone as the Swedish DJs tinkered behind the scenes. After premiering an early version of “Lioness” at a homecoming show in Brooklyn in late April, they announced the song wouldn’t be released as planned because the “production” needed “last-minute changes.”
The mixed messages spawned conspiracy theories and social media backlash from impatient fans. “This whole Lioness thing has become a Monty Python sketch,” one supporter vented on Reddit. “We learned not to trust them even if they officially announce a date,” added another.
It’s an uncharacteristic misstep for the meticulously strategic Swedish House Mafia, whose 20-year rise from the underground to arena headliners was fueled by carefully plotted hype campaigns.
What will happen with the Swedish House Mafia in the next future?
But those heady days of Don’t You Worry Child and Save The World may feel like ancient history if they can’t recapture that spark on “Lioness.”
The song, which features Swedish indie-pop duo Niki & The Dove, aims to blend Swedish House Mafia’s bombastic energy with more ethereal melodies. It’s their first release since 2023’s low-key “Ray of Solar.”
Swedish House Mafia have now confirmed “Lioness” will arrive tomorrow, June 7th – a year after they first started sharing clips.
But this messy prelude shows the rebuild process hasn’t always been smooth. Were the delays simply part of an intricate roll-out strategy or a worrying lack of quality control? And can they win over the fickle festival crowd so easily in 2024 after a shaky return to the spotlight?
Swedish House Mafia’s legacy was built on euphoric moments, both in the studio and on the stage. Hitting those heights again may prove their biggest challenge yet.
