Trond Kallevåg Releases First Single “Twins of Træna” from Upcoming Album Minnesota

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Twins of Træna is the first single from guitarist and composer Trond Kallevåg’s new album Minnesota – a warm and richly visual instrumental narrative that continues the unique expression he has developed through the critically acclaimed releases Bedehus & Hawaii, Fengselsfugl, and Amerikabåten. Known for weaving together Western Norwegian coastal culture, American folk music, ambient, and modern jazz into an open, storytelling soundscape, Trond has carved out a unique position on the Norwegian music scene.

He is joined by three of Norway’s most renowned musicians: Tuva Halse (violin), Gard Nilssen (drums), and Mats Eilertsen (bass). Together they create a sonic space where closeness and distance, memory and landscape merge – with Kallevåg’s dreamy, painterly pedal steel guitar at the center.

The piece was composed by Trond on Træna in the autumn of 2024, inspired by the photographs of Alma Sandøy – a local photographer and postmistress who documented island life in the early 1900s. Many of her pictures portray twins side by side, evoking a strange sense of symmetry and stillness. She received her camera as a gift from her brother, who emigrated to Hawaii before she was born. They never met, but stayed connected through pictures and letters.

As on his previous releases, Kallevåg is responsible for composition, production, and mixing – with a cohesive expression marked by his distinctive signature.

Twins of Træna sets the tone for his forthcoming album Minnesota – a record exploring themes of emigration, longing, dreams, and the Norwegian yearning toward the West.

The album Minnesota will be released on October 24, 2025, on Hubro.

Trond Kallevåg: guitar, pedal steel guitar, electronics and overdubs (synths, bells and piano)

Tuva Halse: violin

Mats Eilertsen: double bass

Gard Nilssen: drums and vibraphone