Valter Nilsson follows up the album "Högsbo Riviera" with "Sten, sax, påse sten," a new single released today, October 16, 2026. The song was written during the autumn's election race and unites two conflicting forces: frustration over the world's developments and a determination to keep hope alive. The central image is a familiar game, used to express the notion that major decisions could just as well be left to chance.
The title references rock, paper, scissors, turning a simple way to decide a contest into a metaphor for political disillusionment. When Nilsson describes his writing process, he talks about racing thoughts and the difficulty in imagining a positive outcome. He describes how decisions around the world take society further from peace, sustainability, and love. This is the artist's perspective behind the song, not a factual statement about any particular political decision or election result.
The tension in the song's premise lies in the refusal to let frustration become the whole story. In its presentation, optimism and hope are underscored as key elements of the track: keeping one's head above water even when circumstances make it difficult. Here, hope does not mean belief that everything is moving in the right direction. Rather, it is about the effort it takes to stand firm, despite the sense that things are heading in the opposite direction.
Nilsson's explanation culminates in the idea that rock, paper, scissors at least offers a one-in-three chance of finding a solution. The phrasing serves as an ironic extension of the metaphor, not a literal calculation of probabilities. It brings overwhelming decisions down to something everyday and recognizable, where humor can coexist with worry. This contrast gives the song's main idea its edge: a children's game becomes a way to describe the adult world's lost faith in decision-making.
The single follows an album described in the provided press materials as Nilsson's breakthrough. This is the sender's assessment rather than an independent critical judgment. The clearest link between the releases, instead, is their place in his ongoing work: after "Högsbo Riviera" comes a new single and a broad tour through Sweden, with stops as well in Copenhagen and Oslo.
The tour begins in Eskilstuna on the single's release day and continues through December. The final stop is at Scandinavium in Nilsson's hometown Gothenburg on December 30, 2026, a concert described in the press materials as his biggest yet. Several shows are reported as sold out, with extra concerts added in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Uppsala. The sold-out statuses below reflect the information provided in the supplied materials.
Tour dates autumn and December 2026
- October 16, 2026 – Eskilstuna, Lokomotivet
- October 17, 2026 – Lund, Mejeriet – sold out
- October 21, 2026 – Hudiksvall, Fabriken
- October 22, 2026 – Skellefteå, Sara Kulturhus
- October 23, 2026 – Luleå, Kulturens Hus – sold out
- October 24, 2026 – Umeå, Stage – sold out
- October 30, 2026 – Kristianstad, Kulturkvarteret – sold out
- October 31, 2026 – Helsingborg, The Tivoli – sold out
- November 7, 2026 – Copenhagen, Vega – two shows, including an extra concert; both sold out
- November 13, 2026 – Varberg, Nöjeshallen – sold out
- November 20, 2026 – Gävle, Stora Gasklockan – sold out
- November 21, 2026 – Örebro, Kulturhuset – sold out
- December 3, 2026 – Stockholm, Fållan – extra concert
- December 4, 2026 – Stockholm, Fållan – sold out
- December 10, 2026 – Oslo, Rockefeller
- December 11, 2026 – Karlstad, Nöjesfabriken
- December 12, 2026 – Falun, Magasinet
- December 15, 2026 – Uppsala, Katalin Jazz – extra concert; sold out
- December 16, 2026 – Uppsala, Katalin Jazz – sold out
- December 17, 2026 – Norrköping, Arbis – sold out
- December 30, 2026 – Gothenburg, Scandinavium
