Norwegian collective Lindy-Fay Hella (Wardruna) & Dei Farne announce the new album Hildring (meaning mirage) arriving on 26th November via 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, Ingolf Hella Torgersen and new addition Sondre Veland, and with them, Lindy-Fay has found kindred spirits.
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.”
Watch the video for the title track “Hildring” below.
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 not only celebrate the power of all of our senses and encourage us to seek the magic in our surroundings, the album also awakens curiosity and a sense of wonder. If there’s more to life than meets the eye, what do we discover?
