The Norwegian collective Lindy-Fay Hella (Wardruna) & Dei Farne release the imaginative new album Hildring, out today through By Norse.
Hildring is Lindy-Fay’s second album, following the release of Seafarer in 2019 which was released in her own name. Dei Farne are musicians; Roy Ole Førland and Ingolf Hella Torgersen and with them, Lindy-Fay has found kindred spirits.
On Hildring they have created a record which celebrates the power of all of our senses and encourages listeners to seek the magic in our surroundings, awakening curiosity and our sense of wonder. Lindy-Fay comments, “Hildring is out today and we’re feeling celebratory, the record has been over a three year journey from when we first met in a basement and rehearsing for what was meant to be a live band only, to creating and recording new music together, drawing inspiration from all over the world/otherworld.”
Lindy-Fay Hella & Dei Farne are celebrating the release of Hildring with a show at Blå, Oslo on 3rd December.
Revisit the latest dream-inspired video “The Lake” and find out more about the album below:
Hildring is an intuitively crafted, ornamental and rhythmical record with a dark pop sensibility, channeling the musicians’ mutual appreciation of different genres, from dark synth, folk, jazz, noise/experimental, Krautrock, prog rock, and world music. The soundscapes of Hildring are like moonlight shimmering in running water. Synth drones and fluid melodies are deftly-woven together with the organic sounds of acoustic piano, guitars, harmonium and percussion/drums, elevated into something larger than life by Lindy-Fay’s extraordinary, expressive vocal style.
Lindy-Fay Hella sounds especially liberated on this record, reconnecting to a childhood passion for synths, and her love of “Black Celebration” by Depeche Mode, attributing her vocal experimentation to Dave Gahan’s wide-ranging style. Lindy-Fay also draws powerful inspiration from traditional Joik singing, unique to the Sámi people of Northern Europe. Lindy-Fay honours her great-grandmother and other Sámi people who suffered injustice when this traditional form was condemned. Harnessing her vocal power is not necessarily about choosing the right words, rather following specific feelings and utilising the voice as an instrument.
About the album Lindy-Fay comments, ‘Hildring’ is the Norwegian word for mirage. When on a long journey, you can start to wonder what is real and what is not, but at the same time, you are constantly seeking the unknown.”
Lindy-Fay continues, “This album is darker and more rhythm based. We’ve been sending ideas to each other and worked it out in the studios with the band, additional musicians and the producer Iver Sandoy. We found that we had a common interest in alternative 70s and 80s music. We like to work fast and trust the gut feelings, rather than analysing everything to pieces. The first takes are often the best ones in our department. The nerve we want to keep in our music is that of a not always perfect one. With some hair, spikes and edges. That’s why part of the Hildring album is totally improvised. We are getting older and feel safe in our own musical expression. We simply make the music we want to make.”
The album reflects the sense of wonder and awe with which Lindy-Fay Hella & Dei Farne view the natural world and the elemental forces of their rural surroundings outside of Bergen. Lindy-Fay elaborates further,
“I have seen a place up in the Lyderhorn mountains that makes a perfect mirror in the water when still. It makes me think of the Otherworld or parallel Universes. “What is behind the veil?” As they questioned in earlier times. All the curiosities I get from walking there makes me wonder, maybe the Witches that were said to be up there felt something similar? To me it is a magical place and the favourite of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen. Also, from where I grew up, on an Island by the open ocean..the memories from that place and the stories I heard from my grandfather about mythical creatures and possible dangers at Sea, gives me great inspiration as well”.
Lindy-Fay Hella & Dei Farne are the opening act for Wardruna’s Nordic Nights Open Air shows – dates below.Nordic Night Open Air Tour Summer 2022 with Wardruna + Kalandra:
01 July 2022 – Augusta Raurica, Augst, Switzerland
02 July 2022 – Amphitheater, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
03 July 2022 – Tollwood, Munich, Germany
05 July 2022 – Arena Open Air, Vienna, Austria
06 July 2022 – Barba Negra Main Stage, Budapest, Hungary
08 July 2022 – Arenele Romane, Bucharest, Romania
09 July 2022 – Roman Theatre of Phillippopolis, Plodviv, Bulgaria
11 July 2022 – Tasmajdan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia
13 July 2022 – Castle Devin, Bratislava, Slovakia
14 July 2022 – Weisser Hirsch, Dresden, Germany
15 July 2022 – Colours of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
Hildring Track list:
01 Hildring
02 Los
03 Insect
04 The Lake
05 Brising
06 Kjetto
07 Taag
08 Otherworld
09 Gjele
