We don't normally write about single releases that we've already covered as part of an album review, but we're more than happy to make an exception for Ida Wenøe, Her album 'The Things We Don't Know Yet' was one of our favourite releases from 2019, and it's an album I'll never let go - reaching for it in particular when I'm alone and want something to consume the house completely. And her release of 'Värmeland' links in nicely with a UK tour too, starting in less than 4 weeks time in the lovely market town of Sudbury in Suffolk.
It also gives us chance to think more about 'Värmeland', which is a gorgeous laid back song, building an evocative vision of a snowy Scandinavian forest. It was initially inspired by a recording session in a an old Swedish house, with such deep snow that the band had to transport their equipment in Bobsleighs. Speaking about the track, Ida says '“Snow has a way of both covering and revealing. There's something so delicate about that. You don't see the things beneath, but you see everything above. The things above will disappear but the things underneath will not, and will catch up with you eventually."
It's lovely to see 'Värmeland' released as a single, because it was a track I questioned in our album review, in respect of whether there was a more that I needed to understand lyrically. Turns out it had a fairly simple inspiration, but it was one of my favourite songs of the album anyway - along with title track 'The Things We Don't Know Yet', 'Circus Season', 'Another Kind of Love', the gorgeous 'The River of Treesbury Hill' and in fact every song on the gorgeous album.
Anyway as for the UK tour, it's a co-headline with Scottish songwriter Samantha Whates, and they play some lovely venues finishing with 3 dates in Scotland. I'll be doing everything I can to travel down to the Birmingham date.
28/02 Friday - St Peter’s, Sudbury
29/02 Saturday - Café #9, Sheffield
01/03 Sunday - The Musician, Leicester
03/03 Tuesday - Green Note, Camden, London
04/03 Wednesday - Kitchen Garden Café, Birmingham
05/03 Thursday - Hug & Pint, Glasgow
07/03 Saturday - Elm House Concerts, Fife
08/03 Sunday - Craigdarroch Arms, Moniaive, Dumfries
For more details on tickets then it's probably best to visit Ida on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or on her website.