Solen Var Bättre Där

When I reviewed Ævestaden’s 2021 debut album Ingen Mere Gråter in Songlines #176 (April 2022), I described their music as ‘dream folk.’ I was captivated by the Swedish/Norwegian trio’s fusion of traditional instruments with electronica and vocals. Over the past year, the band have toured several European countries and were nominated for a Songlines Music Award, so I was excited to hear of the release of their second album, the enigmatic title of which could be translated as ‘The Sun Was Better There’.

There are three elements to Ævestaden’s sound. First, the raindrop-like ostinato motifs plucked on traditional Scandinavian instruments such as the kravik-lyre and kantele –even Levina Storåkern’s violin is often plucked rather than bowed.

Second, Ævestaden’s acoustic instruments are underpinned by subtle, minimalist electronics, sounding pleasingly gritty and dirty at times, as if produced by an old analogue synth you might find in Jean-Michel Jarre’s attic.

Finally, there are the pure, clear vocals, somewhat reminiscent of Vashti Bunyan, that seem to evoke an atmosphere of lullabies and nursery rhymes. All these elements combine to make Ævestaden’s Solen Var Bättre Där, and their music more broadly, highly original, deeply atmospheric and completely enchanting.