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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

(PB&J) – On April 8, 2008, Quarterstick Records will release the highly anticipated solo album from Peter Morén, the lead singer of Swedish indie megastars Peter Bjorn and John. The Last Tycoon may be Peter’s first solo album, but it has been several years in the making. Throughout the hectic years of songwriting, recording and touring with Peter Bjorn and John in support of their infectious breakout album Writer’s Block, Peter’s pen never rested. Out of that prolific pen emerged an intimate collection of songs that see their writer pondering the difficulties and resolutions of everyday life and the ever-present confusion of approaching late adulthood – according to Peter, “the usual lyrical psychobabble, but with a direct and honest approach.”

Recorded and mixed over two years in tiny apartments and rehearsal studios in Sweden and the U.S., The Last Tycoon features a decidedly more acoustic, low-key side of Peter than fans of 2007’s ubiquitous indie anthem “Young Folks” are used to hearing. Built around the basic foundation of Peter and his guitar, the album has a distinctly homemade feel that feeds from the folk singer-songwriter tradition but still incorporates strings, synthesizers, vibraphones, percussion, a musical saw, and even a drum machine or two.

After a solo show in New York City, SPIN.com raved, “Judging by the fervent ovation, fans hope this solo Tycoon takes the stage again very soon…” Luckily for all music fans, Peter will be bringing the charming folk-pop of The Last Tycoon to the South by Southwest Festival in March and a handful of select cities this spring.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.