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 postrock, 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”
Regardless of genre name, Pershagen is a groundbreaking band that captivates and engages, something their diligent touring in Scandinavia, China, Russia and parts of Europe proves. After several tours, the band has gained a reputation of being an outstanding live act and Pershagen manages to enchant its audience in an 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 Witchcraft, Sarah Klang and Linn Koch Emmery, among others, but has also been collaborating 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.
HILMA
On Pershagen's new LP, Hilma, the listener is thrown between different sonic worlds. From light to darkness, from order to chaos, always with a common thread from beginning to end. The band is evolving the songwriting, arrangements and improvisations in an electric way. With songs like Klangskog, Hilma, Långt borta nära, Alla minns den sista gången and Ekoparken shines the ability to write heartfelt songs. Melodies that etch themselves on the retina and capture the listener's attention immediately.
The album also contains more typical Pershagen works such as Karelia and Arkhangelsk; suggestively low-key songs that balance between utopia and dystopia, songs with a presence that goes from being small and close, to culminating in grinding rock music. It is music that is given time and space to grow. A type of dynamic and nerve that is so characteristic for Pershagen's music, which easily stimulates the listener's imagination and invites him to a journey into the interior.
On tracks like Ofog I djävulens sällskap and Solen är en trumma, the band shows an even more improvisational spirit, something that mostly appeared live before but which has now been captured in the studio. Ofog I djävulens sällskap invites you to an industrial, schizophrenic and dark world created by a repetitive grinding a la Godspeed You! Black Emperor. At the other end we have Solen är en trumma, also the repetitively grinding but with a more light-hearted and playful mood that flirts with the more hopeful side of Träden/Träd gräs och stenar, Danish Papir or why not My Brother The Wind.
Hilma was created during 2020 and 2021 och was recorded in Pershagen’s studio: Studio LUR. Released 29e april 2022 through Lövely Records
LISTEN TO HILMA
BIO
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 developed to create instrumental music that reflected Norrbotten's winter months; Down to earth, cold, beautiful but still with melancoly, During the 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 warm reception took Pershagen to new places, including a longer tour in Scandinavia but also all the way to Russia.
Tarfala (2018) became the band's most successful 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 such as PSL, SR P3, 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.
Pershagen:
Jimmie Nilsson - Guitar
Theo Stocks - Pedal Steel, Guitar
Andreas Sahlin - Bass
Johan Kalla - Drums
HIGHLIGHTS
“Vi rullar ut röda mattan och premiärspelar idag nya singeln Det du söker finns inte här med bandet Pershagen. Har du inte lyssnat på instrumental musik tidigare så ta tillfället i akt. Det här är musik med mycket nerv som inte släpper taget om dig förrän sista tonen klingat ut”
“Bäst just nu: Instrumental musik som retar alla sinnen. Det du söker finns inte här inleds med en basgång som bryter av alla slentrianmässiga vardagssysslor. Man kan minst sagt säga att den tar plats. Sedan spritter det hela ut i musik som både känns, pulserar och luktar. Ja, i stort sett alla sinnen får sitt när det här vecklas ut till något monumentalt i musikväg - GAFFA”
“Basically, this song, purely based off of it’s name, did a pretty good job of shaking me to my core. Actually, it did that with its sounds as well. Well done, Pershagen. What a ride”
“PSL Topp 20, vecka 21 2018”
“Månadens bästa låtar, april 2018 - GAFFA”
“Alla melodislingor som blandas med småkromatiska detaljer och den rastlösa
energin gör Tarfala till ett bevis för Pershagens obestridbara genialitet”
“Årets bästa låtar 2018 - GAFFA”
“I min bok är Pershagen årets hittills starkaste debut och en milstolpe i svensk postrock-historia”
Pictures
