With third studio full-length ‘Hilma’, the Swedish quartet PERSHAGEN 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 on all digital formats April 29. The album will be released on green vinyl and clear vinyl in summer 2022. ‘Hilma’ is released on Lövely Records.
Pershagen are: Jimmie Nilsson – Guitar, Theo Stocks – Pedal Steel, Guitar, Andreas Sahlin – Bass, Johan Kalla – Drums
Pershagen’s music flows through deep forests and high mountain peaks, music with presence and nerve that guides the listener through soft hypnotic sonic soundscapes and dynamic grinding sections.
In a mix of psychedelic rock and post-rock, Pershagen creates a signature sound that is defined by strong cinematic songs. Their music has been called “Pine forest-rock”, a label that shows that the traditional genres and labels aren’t sufficient to describe this Swedish band.
“Of all the ingenious new sub-genres that’s been coined in recent years, Pershagen’s “Pine forest-rock” is one of the most accurate” — Festivalrykten (Our translation)
Regardless of genre name, Pershagen is a groundbreaking band that captivates and engages. After several tours in Scandinavia, China, Russia and parts of Europe, the band has gained a reputation of being an outstanding live act that is able to enchant its audience in almost hypnotic way. It does not matter if it is at a smoky club in Germany, rock bar in China, as a headline act at a festival, or at a hippie party with the forest as a backdrop, Pershagen’s deep passion and presence is contagious, which has led to the band having a loyal audience.
Pershagen consists of musicians who played with artists such as Sarah Klang and Linn Koch Emmery, among others, but also collaborated with Gustav Ejstes (Dungen, Amason, and others). Together, they have managed to capture their live magic on recording and several of their releases have attracted the attention of Swedish media such as P3, PSL, Gaffa and Festivalrykten, as well as podcasts in the US and radio stations in Europe.
Pershagen was formed on an August evening in 2014.
It was only minutes after Neil Young ended his concert at Stockholm Music & Arts that Jimmie Nilsson, Johan Kalla and Miranda Johansson decided to start a band. The idea was to create instrumental music that reflected Norrbotten’s winter months; down to earth, cold, beautiful but still with melancholy. During that autumn, intense improvisation and songwriting took place in the trio’s rehearsal room in Piteå, which resulted in the debut EP Silverarken. The inspiration for the EP was taken from stories about the Korpelarörelsen, a revivalist movement that operated in Tornedalen during the early 20th century.
In the summer of 2014, the band had the opportunity to step into the legendary Swedish Gramophone Studio to record the LP Den siste av mitt namn (2015). The album was a natural further development of the band’s expression and presented a wider dynamic range and musical width. The release was followed by tours in Scandinavia and Russia.
Tarfala (2018) became the band’s most successful album to date after they opened at Sweden’s largest gala for independent music, The Manifest Gala. The album featured the Swedish psych rock legend Gustav Ejstes (Dungen, Amason), and was praised in Swedish media and podcasts in Europe and the USA. The music also began to find its way into several SVT and SR documentaries. In addition to this the album also gave rings on the water in China, which led to a two-week tour as a headline act.
In 2021 Pershagen signed with Lövely Records, who released the group’s third studio album ‘Hilma’ in the spring of 2022.
