Get ready to have your speakers baptized in the sound of Malmö’s best-kept secret. And The Broken have arrived with their debut album, “Changes,” and it’s a lesson on how to make rock music that breathes, bleeds, and feels real. This nine-track beast was forged in the crucible of singer Tobias Borelius’s home and the band’s own rehearsal space, and you can taste every bit of the sweat and soul that went into it.
This is a band that paid its dues, having unleashed five EPs between 2022 and 2024. But “Changes” is the main event, a collection of all-new material that proves this outfit is here to stay. The sound is a thrilling collision of indie, folk, and straight-up rock, refusing to be pinned down. Mixed by the duo of Andreas Ejnarsson and guitarist Linus Lindvall, the record has a raw, immediate quality that feels like you’re right there in the room with them.
Let’s meet the crew. At the heart of it all is Tobias Borelius, the vocalist and a primary songwriter whose presence gives the album its emotional anchor. Then there’s Johan Hellsten, the bassist who also serves as the architect behind one of the album’s standout tracks. And you’ve got Linus Lindvall on guitar, whose lines also help shape the album’s very sound from the mixing desk.
The album starts with “Into The Black,” a song that sets the tone perfectly. Written by Johan Hellsten, it’s a brooding, melancholic rocker with the dark energy of Greg Dulli and 80s Australian post-punk. The track is elevated into something truly special by the cello of Nelly Karinsdotter Pålsson, whose playing adds a layer of haunting, classical gravitas that grinds against the rock foundation in the best way possible.
Then you have the title track, “Changes.” It started life with a Dinosaur Jr.-inspired snarl but morphed into a laid-back, West Coast summer jam, complete with a sun-drenched saxophone solo from jazz student Svante Svärd and the warm wash of mellotron. “June” is another hit, built on a foundation of—wait for it—ukulele, which somehow works perfectly alongside the band’s intro and guitar riffs to tell a true story of a teenager’s search for identity.
“Running Out of Time” is the soulful, laid-back single that already has critics drooling, drawing comparisons to Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons. The trumpet from Jens Lindgård is an instant hook, a memorable blast of brass that underscores the song’s shifted theme—from a bird to the universal reality of aging.
The band isn’t afraid to strip it all back, either. “Rust” is a bold, late-night experiment born from an SMS, a track with no drums or bass—just the nerve of acoustic guitars, vocals, and Nelly’s cello once again weaving its magic. It’s a brave and stunning moment of quiet intensity.
The one-two punch of “Polaroid & Cardboard Boxes” shows their narrative ambition, telling the story of a relationship under pressure. You can feel the tension and the unanswered questions—is love fading, or are people just changing? The album closes with the Velvet Underground-infused blues of “Modern World,” a snarling commentary where the lyrics leave no room for doubt: “Crazy people rule the world.” And the personal “Me After Midnight” is a wry, honest look at knowing your own limits, dedicated to a friend.
“Changes” is an album that isn’t trying to be cool; it’s just trying to be true. And in doing so, it becomes one of the coolest, most compelling rock records you’ll hear all year. And The Broken have taken their pieces and built something powerful, organic, and completely unforgettable.