Dark Nordic folk artist Nanna Barslev has shared a hypnotic visualiser for her third single, Sten. It's taken from her debut solo album, Lysbaerer, which is out now on CD and digital through By Norse. A limited edition vinyl with all the lyrics and English translations will also be available from May 6.
“I made this song as a kind of healing meditative song," says Barslev. "Diving deep down into the core and letting the light work with the dark in the soul like detangling blockages. This theme is one of the main themes in Lysbærer.
“Sten is dominated by layers of vocals like waves rolling in. The song touches the spectrum between paganism and Christianity back then and still current. It’s a theme I have been inspired from since childhood singing in church choir and searching for pagan beliefs. I composed the melody as I imagine a pagan circle song can be sung for a ceremony and combined with a medieval inspired choral that also has a ceremonial purpose”.
Lysbaerer, translated as 'carrier of light', offers an interpretation of Nordic folklore and has been mastered by Enslaved's Iver Sandøy.
Says Barslev of the record, “Through the process of making this album, I’ve been diving into the melancholic roots and energies with a fire torch in my hand, searching in the dark for what could be healed. I crossed all boundaries from what I thought I was capable of as an artist and put my feelings and soul in it. My wish is that the listener can relate to themes and feelings in this album and carefully be lead through the misty fields and the sunny meadows.”
