I am such a sucker for Nordic music. Toss in an æ, an ø, or even an ð, and I am right there, all alert and happy. Your þ is a tiny treat, and I am an excitable puppy wagging my tail to the beat of your traditional percussive instrument whose name I don’t actually know. So when I saw a project called Eivør submitted to us for review, I can’t say I hesitated much. I did briefly watch the video linked below first, so I knew that this Faroese project, from singer and songwriter Eivør Pálsdóttir, blends electronica and traditional Nordic themes together in Tungl, her eleventh solo release since 2000. Over the course of her career, Eivør has written and performed folk music, jazz, classical, pop, and more, and last year signed to Nuclear Blast Records, who describe her as “one of the most innovative Nordic artists of her generation.” That’s a lot of influences, an impressive career, and one very excitable reviewer/puppy. So how does it all come together?

It comes together quite well, but not in the way I initially expected. Truthfully, I’m always hoping I’ll discover the next Forndom with this style, but Eivør trends more ritualistic through the use of orchestral synths and electronica-style percussion. Of course, Eivør’s voice does most of the heavy lifting; synths give her a dark room to work in, but her vocal melodies, with songs sung in both Faroese and English, are the real highlight. The result is that Tungl acts as a soundscape both chilling and moving, and an album that is at times cinematic and at others deeply focused and introspective.

And the highlight of Tungl absolutely is Pálsdóttir’s singing. Even if you don’t care for the electric distortions of “Og mánin græt,” Eviør’s layered singing acts as a guide through the static and haze, powerful, crisp, and clear. The repetitive instrumentation and Faroese lyrics build a dense fog to get lost in, and it works very well. “Verjugarðar” brings in some of that cinematic scope I alluded to earlier, where the synths feel more like strings and Eivør’s high notes are a siren’s call. On the English-language side, “Everyone But Me” trends traditional, opening with little more than a quiet piano and beautiful, moving singing. In a way, Tungl is a hard album to describe, because that simplicity really is its core: whether ritualistic, cinematic, or simple, its eponymous lead is at its heart.

In that same sense, one thing I might argue feels missing from Tungl is a sense of depth. Now, this could easily be my limited metal guy worldview, but I can’t help but feel that a lot of Eivør’s ideas imply a wider interpretation than they receive. “Eon” is perhaps a good example, a straightforward ballad that can’t seem to decide if it’s resting on the modern side of dark pop or in Eivør’s traditional roots. It’s only four minutes long, but treads on the same ideas for most of it and feels a bit still compared with other tracks. Tungl is at its strongest, at least to this reviewer’s ears, when it embraces those themes. The sense of ritual, reverence, and culture is so strong on songs like “Hinumegin,” a track that, on paper, appears similar to “Eon,” but lands in a more bombastic, ascendant fashion. “Fangað,” featuring guest vocals from Elinborg Pálsdóttir, is intriguing enough to stand out, but something about the performance doesn’t quite connect. This is perhaps a drawback of the fairly straightforward nature of Eivør’s approach—not connecting with a single element of the songwriting often means the entire track feels flat.

Fortunately, I connect with a lot more of Tungl than I don’t, and I have immense respect for the project that’s created it. As an expression of an individual—and, to some extent, a culture that most of the world does not get to experience—Eivør succeeds and shows off the experience of its author. Tungl is atmospheric, intense, and enjoyable. It was, for me, a hit-or-miss experience, but it’s hard not to enjoy the album as a whole. Certainly, it’s enough for me to look forward to seeing what Pálsdóttir does next, and to better explore her past work as well.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: eivor.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/eivormusic
Releases Worldwide: October 16th, 2026

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