I’m really genuinely excited for tomorrow, and not just because National Bagel Day and National Hat Day both fall on a Friday this year. It really feels that new releases are starting to ramp up for 2021, and the delayed Pom Poko album finally reaching us should be a real treat in particular.
One artist that slipped in a debut at the end of last year that we missed was the Norwegian project Huldr, based around the talents of singer/songwriter Guro Eliassen Kverndokk, supported by producer Magnus Nyborg Berg. The single is entitled ‘Inside my mind rn’.
Although Oslo based, there’s also a somewhat inevitable Bergen connection as she studies at the Grieg Academy there, with the project described as ‘art pop’, or for me simplistically a tantalising mix of jazz and electro pop. She explains further, that “Huldr is a 21st century twist on the Huldra myth, a mythical and enchanting female spirit that is intertwined with the folkloric Norwegian landscape of forests and lakes”. It also respresents “feminine empowerment as a counterpoint to the objectification of women in the music industry.’
‘Inside my mind rn’ is genuinely like nothing I’ve ever heard before, a ‘wow’ song that demands attention, mainly thanks to the gorgeous vocals, which are luxurious, mysterious, alluring too. Melodically it’s dark, beautiful and most importantly different, and the echoing backing vocals will keep you on the edge of your seat right to the end.
There’s a powerful video too, take a look here:
Photo credits. Make-up artist Sofia Ekstrand and photographer Veronica Voll