Pershagen Premiere “Långt Borta Nära” from Hilma out April 29
Swedish psychedelic post-rockers Pershagen will release their third album, Hilma, April 29 through Lövely Records. Written and put to tape in the pandemic era, its nine-song/40-minute run bridges elements progressive and traditional, winding its instrumentalist way into a kind of searching sensibility, successive cuts like a glimpse — or, in some cases, a longer stare — meditating on what is and how they got to where they are. They call it tallskogsrock, which relates the sound directly to the large pine forests of their home. Fair enough. From the moment opener “Klanskog” takes hold, it is as though the four-piece are saying, “relax, you’re in good hands.” That turns out, fortunately, to be precisely the case at that short, ultra-mellow, shimmering opener gives way to the more direct and also drummed title-track, which taps Pixies “Where is My Mind” vibes in a more spacious and textured manner ahead of the single premiering below, “Långt borta nära,” its blend of sweet droning guitar and pedal steel coming across to my American ears not too dissimilar from some amalgam of Yawning Man and Arbouretum, the latter particularly in the (sans vocal) chorus.
What’s unaccounted for there is Pershagen‘s folk influence, which comes through as “Alla minns den sista gången” unfurls acoustic and electric guitar together and a kind of backing melodic hum. They push into more weighted roll, relatively speaking, and that’s an avenue they’ll continue to explore in combination with minimalism and nuance-laden wash in pieces like “Ekoparken” later and the subsequent jazzy centerpiece “Karelia,” which gracefully nudges into the terrain of European psych fusion, a 
patience of delivery tying all the material together even as “Ofog i djävulens sällskap” scratches on electronic experimentation over its steady drum beat and fleshed out guitar ambience, bordering on space rock by the time they’re done but returning to pastoralist grace in the opening stretch of the aforementioned “Ekoparken.” The material is evocative, willing to be joyful, and bold without brashness. Even the more modern and urbane fuzz bass of the penultimate “Solen är en trumma” highlights a depth of consideration to their approach, each piece of Hilma offering something of its own to contribute to the whole, and the varied lengths of the songs honing a subtle momentum pulling the listener from one part to the next.
That’s not to undersell the evocative nature of the work. There’s more here than just an execution of style — though that’s a part of it too, Pershagen seeming to have a firm notion of who they are and what they want to do as a band — and the capping gospel-folk drone of “Archangelsk” asserts their continued growth while giving Hilma a quiet, meditative finish suited to the spaces the band has already cast but separate from them as well. Hilma will not be for everyone all the time, but neither are they meant to be. Nonetheless, the songs make up a sonic narrative of who Pershagen are as a group and their ability to communicate the complexity of their ideas with cohesion and purpose. That is, you may feel as though you’re wandering among the old tall trees, but in truth you’re being carefully led all the while. This is only to the band’s credit.
Right down there, you can stream the premiere of “Långt borta nära,” which doesn’t necessarily account for everywhere Pershagen go on Hilma, but is a surprisingly encompassing three and a half minutes unto itself.
I hope you enjoy:
Pershagen, “Långt Borta Nära” track premiere
Pershagen on “Långt Borta Nära”:
‘Långt borta nära’ has been a part of Pershagen’s live set since 2018. The song was written by Jimmie during a period when he studied the musical language in Swedish folk music, especially polskor (a type of style in Swedish folk music).
The fact that folk music has been a source of inspiration to ‘Långt borta nära’ may seem foreign to some ears, but it is clearly there. But since the first version of the song it has changed shape and been filtered through more sources of inspiration. The result is a melodic piece that is straightforward.
Stream “Långt borta nära”: https://orcd.co/langtbortanara
Pershagen will release their third studio full-length ‘Hilma’ in April 2022. The Swedish quartet delve deeper into their very own niche of dreamy and cinematic instrumental music on the new album. Throughout ‘Hilma’, psychedelic rock intertwines with post-rock, and Scandinavian gloominess melts into colorful moments of bliss.
Following their critically acclaimed, self – released albums ‘Den siste av mitt namn’ (2016) and ‘Tarfala’ (2018), Pershagen returns with a set of 9 new cuts. Constantly moving between darkness and light, ‘Hilma’ throws the listener on a journey of both improvised jams as well as elegantly arranged compositions. Elements of Nordic folk music meet fuzzy, overdriven grinding, experimental psych rock and guitar driven indie on the new album. Decorated with the colorful sounds of guitar, pedal steel and organ, ‘Hilma’ captivates throughout the 40 minutes of running time, constantly introducing new soundscapes and musical components.
‘Hilma’ was created during 2020 and 2021. The album was recorded in Pershagen’s own Studio LUR by Elias Ortiz. Mixed by Albin Eidhagen and mastered by Anders Hellgren.
‘Hilma’ is released April 29 on Lövely Records. The album will be available on green vinyl, clear vinyl, and digital formats.
Tracklisting:
01 – Klangskog 2:21
02 – Hilma 3:25
03 – Långt bort nära 3:36
04 – Alla minns den sista gången 4:01
05 – Karelia 7:26
06 – Ofog i djävulens sällskap 5:42
07 – Ekoparken 5:02
08 – Solen är en trumma 3:41
09 – Archangelsk 5:30
Pershagen:
Jimmie Nilsson – Guitar
Theo Stocks – Pedal Steel, Guitar
Andreas Sahlin – Bass
Johan Kalla – Drums
