Still Life

"I like to mix things that don't belong together and see what happens," says Eivør Pálsdóttir. The singer-songwriter talks to Prog about channelling the folk traditions of her Faroese home, the power of solitude, and the inspiring magic of the natural world into her transformative new album ENN.

- David West

It means ‘still’ in Faroese, although the word ‘enn’ lends itself to neither the Faroe Islands, surrounded by the turbulent, briny North Atlantic, nor the archipelago’s most famous daughter. Since her eponymous debut in 2000, Eivør has explored folk, electronica, art-rock and more in a career defined by a restless musical curiosity, yet stillness and the tranquillity of solitude helped to shape the sound and moods of her latest release, ENN.

With a population of 71, the village of Tjørnuvík is the perfect spot to escape the distractions of modern life, and it became her base for the new album. “It’s a beautiful place, isolated from everything,” says Eivør. “You feel extremely far away from the rest of the world and you’re close to nature. That makes you feel connected. It’s a strong contrast that you experience when you go to any tiny, isolated place. It’s almost too quiet sometimes, but that forces you to use your imagination. Nature and the elements have always been such a strong creative force in my music, so I like to go to places like that when I write. I often have a lot of sketches that I work on in the middle of the chaos, on tour or in a noisy city, but then I like to take it to a quiet place to dive further into it, somehow.”

Across eight songs, the album moves between sweeping string arrangements, pulsing electronic beats and expansive, cosmic soundscapes. Those disparate elements reflect the formative environments that shaped Eivør’s artistic expression.

“When I grew up in this small village [of Syðrugøta] in the Faroe Islands, I remember feeling my urge to sing when I was out walking in nature,” she says. “It’s the contrasts, because it’s so full of contrast there, soft and beautiful summers, and really dark, harsh winters. Even in the summer the weather can change from one minute to another, so it’s very unpredictable. I think that’s something that you find in my music.”