Swedish dream-pop trio ViVii announce their new album, I Thought I Would Be Somewhere Else By Now, arriving January 29th, 2027, via Dumont Dumont. The announcement comes alongside new single ‘Down the River’, offering another glimpse into the expansive, deeply atmospheric world of the group’s most mature and band-oriented record to date.
Built slowly over several years, I Thought I Would Be Somewhere Else By Now is an album about time, expectation and the quiet realisation that life rarely unfolds in quite the way you imagined. Across calming melodies, rich vocals, harmonies, and psychedelic instrumentation, ViVii explore the space between where we thought we would be and where we actually are, creating a record that feels deeply intimate while still reaching towards something much bigger.
The album’s title reflects the feeling of looking back at the plans, expectations and imagined destinations that shape our lives. As the band explain, “We always thought we were on our way somewhere. Somewhere with a clearer sense of what we were doing. Some place where things would make more sense. Years passed. We made plans. Changed them. Waited. Got tired of waiting. Drove around. Stayed home. Fell asleep watching the same movies. Told each other we would be fine. Some things happened. Some didn’t. Somewhere in between, we made this record.”
That sense of letting life unfold naturally shows in how ViVii made the record. Rather than forcing the songs toward a predetermined destination, the band let ideas develop over time, following instinct and leaving room for imperfection, unexpected sounds, and moments that couldn’t have been planned.
That approach continues with the new single ‘Down The River’; the track explores the uncertainty of trying to make sense of the world, and the idea that there may never be one definitive answer. Drifting somewhere between dream and waking life, ethereal vocals and fingerpicked guitar open into an almost otherworldly space, reflecting the song’s sense of curiosity, wonder and searching.
Explaining the beginnings of the track’s formation, “Down the river started with a question. From a five-year-old. “What’s the point?” Which is…quite a big question. For anyone, really. We still don’t know. Maybe nobody does. Maybe that’s okay. There are so many ways of looking at the same world. You can stand in the same place… and somehow see something completely different. We’ve always loved that side of music. The almost sacred part of it. The harmonies. The tones. That feeling you sometimes get when something just… opens up. For a second. You don’t really know what it is. You just know you felt it. Down the river lives somewhere in there. In the same world as everything else. I think. Just maybe… on another planet. Ten zillion light years away.”
‘Down The River’ follows the previously released ‘Temporary’ and ‘Not Your Island’, offering further insight into the album’s evolving sound. ‘Temporary’ is a bittersweet ode to impermanence, built around a distinctly Swedish, dansband-inspired groove. Buoyant guitar lines, blissful psychedelic harmonies and glittering melodies provide the perfect juxtaposition to its introspective, almost existentialist lyricism. It’s a song that makes you want to dance while quietly reminding you that the dance, like everything else, won’t last forever. As the band explain, it captures “that moment when you realise that something is already changing, despite still standing in the middle of it.”
Released ahead of ‘Temporary’, ‘Not Your Island’ marked another step into the lush, immersive world of I Thought I Would Be Somewhere Else By Now. Blending hazy guitars, ethereal textures and rich vocal harmonies, the track captures the cinematic quality that has become synonymous with ViVii, while hinting at the more expansive, band-led sound explored across the new record.
Since forming, ViVii have built a strong reputation across the European touring circuit, performing at festivals including Way Out West, Reeperbahn and SXSW, as well as supporting Alt-J and Swedish contemporaries Shout Out Louds and Jonathan Johansson across Europe.
I Thought I Would Be Somewhere Else By Now
Out January 29 Via Dumont Dumont
PRE-SAVE HERE
Track list:
Bad Years
Longest Time
Not Your Island
Rest In Peace
Down The River
Was Ready Yesterday
OMG
You Go I Go
Bad Years (Slow)
Temporary
We Will Be Fine