Folk Music Powerhouses Unite as Gangar and Tuva Syvertsen Release “Murukleiven II” – the First Single from Gangar’s Long-Awaited Second Album!

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Gangar is releasing the first single from their upcoming sophomore album Dreng, featuring the legendary folk singer Tuva Syvertsen (Valkyrien). The lead track “Murukleiven II” breathes new life into an old ballad about a notorious thief from Telemark, delivering a fiery reinterpretation that will challenge and excite listeners.

Since their debut concert in 2021, the folk music band Gangar has established itself as one of Norway’s most in-demand musical exports, known for their fresh and original approach to traditional Norwegian folk and roots music.

“Murukleiven” is a well-known ballad from Telemark about the thief Tov Johannesen Murukleiv from Heddal, better known as “Murukleiven.” Fiddler and frontman Mattias explains:

“The ballad tells of several of the thief’s exploits, sung in the first person. He sings about stealing pork, escaping the sheriff, fathering children with various women, and hiding in haystacks. We drew the song from archival recordings of Aslak Brekke (1901–1978) from Vinje and combined it with the tune of the same name, based on Knut Buen (b. 1949).”

This is the very first vocal track that the otherwise instrumental band Gangar has created, opening up a new and exciting approach to their material. When they got a yes from one of Norway’s most powerful and renowned voices in folk music, Tuva Syvertsen, they were overjoyed. Mattias adds with a big smile:

“Tuva is a fantastic vocalist, and also a mentor figure for us younger musicians working with folk music in bands. She was the perfect fit for the song – one of the truly ‘murukleivete’ folk musicians out there!”

On Gangar’s new album, set for release in April, you’ll hear harder arrangements with elements of prog-metal, combined with tracks arranged with a classic rock sound. The record also features many new – and perhaps surprising – collaborations with top vocalists, as well as the inclusion of both well-known and more obscure folk instruments. The album was recorded with producer Håkon Iversen, engineered by Simon Jackman, mixed by Martin Selen, and mastered by Morgan Nicolaysen.