Trond Kallevåg releases The Boat Song – a lyrical journey leading up to the album Minnesota

LISTEN NOW

The Boat Song, the second single from his upcoming album Minnesota, transforms that story into sound: quiet, lyrical and emotionally resonant. It floats gently between memory and melody — carried by Kallevåg’s lyrical and distinctive guitar, and the sensitive interplay with three of Norway’s most acclaimed musicians: Tuva Halse (violin), Gard Nilssen (drums), and Mats Eilertsen (double bass).

Over the past few years, Kallevåg has carved out a distinctive space on the Nordic music scene, creating instrumental music that blends Norwegian coastal folk traditions with ambient textures and Americana. His earlier Hubro albums – Bedehus & Hawaii (2019), Fengselsfugl (2021), and Amerikabåten (2023) – have received critical acclaim, with Bandcamp hailing his debut as one of the 15 best international jazz releases of the year by Bandcamp.

Reviewers have compared his work to Bill Frisell and Daniel Lanois, while others describe his musical world as if David Lynch had set up a film shoot in a foggy Norwegian fishing village.

The Boat Song was written during Kallevåg’s artist residency on Træna in Northern Norway, in autumn 2024, as part of his Træna Hawaii project. He was particularly drawn to the photographs of Alma Sandøy, a local amateur photographer who documented life on the island in the early 1900s. Her photographs offer a rare glimpse into everyday life on Træna in the early 1900s — composed with a clarity and presence far ahead of her time.

Her camera had been a gift from her brother Theodor, who had emigrated to Hawaii before she was born. They never met, but kept in touch through letters and photographs.

That sense of distance, quiet devotion, and emotional undercurrent is what Kallevåg channels into The Boat Song. As with his previous work, he composed, produced and mixed the track himself — shaping each tone with care, letting the story unfold without a single word.

The entire album “Minnesota” will be released on Hubro on October 24, 2025. You can presave the album HERE

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