Olovson blends classical foundations with modern, genre-defying textures on new single ‘Things I Could’ve Left Behind’

After two years of silence, LA-based composer Jacob Olofsson, better known as Olovson, re-emerges with ‘Things I Could’ve Left Behind’, a piece that reframes his sonic universe while holding onto the intimacy that has long defined his work. Released via his own imprint, 1136 Diamond, the single is as much a meditation on memory as it is a step forward, bridging the neoclassical poise of his earlier releases with a more contemporary palette.

Olofson has built his name in multiple worlds at once: as a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum producer working alongside Frank Ocean, Dua Lipa and Mark Ronson, and as a solo artist whose piano-led debut 'Storytelling' (2022) garnered support from the likes of CLASH, Wonderland and BBC Radio. Where that record positioned him in the lineage of Nils Frahm or Chilly Gonzales, ‘Things I Could’ve Left Behind’ shifts the lens, drawing instead from the emotional clarity of James Blake and the genre-blurring textures of Blood Orange.

"‘Things I Could’ve Left Behind’ started as a melody that had stuck with me for quite some time, and when I finally recorded it, I knew it was the starting block of the new project. I sing on this song, although only in wordless melodies, which felt like a bridge from the previous record into this new chapter. The song is about letting go of resentment carried for too long and making space for forgiveness and peace.”

At its heart, the track is deceptively simple. Olofson’s piano lines glide with an understated elegance, every note landing with unhurried intention. A subtle rhythmic lilt lends it a hazy, late-night sway, while his own vocals, appearing for the first time in his catalogue, surface like fragments of memory, soft, spectral, and deeply human. The result is a composition that feels both weightless and rooted, balancing restraint with a quiet emotional gravity.

‘Things I Could’ve Left Behind’ signals a new chapter for Olovson, one where classical foundations dissolve into something more fluid, more personal, and infinitely more expansive.

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