Tuvaband is the solo project of Norwegian singer, songwriter, and producer, Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser. Her debut album Soft Drop had songs that were airy, ghostly and effortlessly cinematic, whilst second album I Entered The Void pushed her sound into rougher, heavier atmospheric rock, and earned her a nomination for a Norwegian Grammy. One of her first songs ‘Unknown’ has had over 24 million plays on Spotify, and now Tuva is set to take her songwriting to new levels and to adventurously push the boundaries of her musical world.
After releasing first single ‘Growing Pains’ last month, Tuvaband shares new track with futuristic ‘Post Isolation’ as well as announcing brand new album Growing Pains & Pleasures that will be released 21st May via her own label Passion Flames.
Listen to ‘Post Isolation’ here.
Her last album I Entered The Void was about isolation, the story of Tuva cutting herself off from society and the effect that process had on her, and Growing Pains & Pleasures is about trying to find her way back. It’s an album fuelled by change – changes in Tuva’s life, changes happening around her, and changes she realised she was going through herself. The album’s title, Growing Pains & Pleasures, describes her journey through those changes, the stress of the ground moving underneath your feet and the world shaking as you realise you’re not the same person you always were.
‘Post Isolation’ is a song about Tuva’s return to the world of other people, where she’s stalked by the shadows of her own fears. It’s a haunting piece of alt-rock, with Tuva conjuring up a sprawling, sweeping backdrop of soft guitars, swaying in wavelike rhythm. It’s a simple, stripped-back sonic landscape for her vocals to make it home. Her voice steers the song, lost and harried, reaching out for firm ground. It doesn’t need to be dramatic to make its point – the fractured, frightening scenes she paints in this subtle song have a power that’s impossible to ignore.
Tuva says: “The song is about returning to the world after isolation, and how overwhelming that can feel. It’s a song about irrational fears. I had a demo of the song, and went into a studio to re-record parts of it. I realised later that I liked the demo version the most, so I kept everything I had already recorded in my home studio, except my programmed drums, which was re-recorded with Kenneth Ishak, who played on real drums.”
Tuvaband has a vision and is clearly not afraid to use it when producing her own music. She graces dark canvases between alternative and indie rock with fluorescent shoegaze sketches.
Growing Pains & Pleasures, the new album from Tuvaband
Released Friday 21st March via Passion Flames.
