GABBAREIN

A project from Norwegian vocalist and sound healer Cecilie Hafstad and American composer-producer Christopher Bono (Ghost Against Ghost, Nous Alpha, NOUS). Recorded on a fjord within the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. Self-titled debut album released May 3, 2024. “Ra Rising Sun,” “Jeg Hører Deg” and “Kom Her” are out now.

Cecilie Hafstad shares: “This track is about getting stuck in depression. How one can make unsound and rash decisions out of fear when stuck in the darkness of the mind.

When this channeled through me I was transported back to when my good friend was going through a very hard time in his life. Being I have dealt with anxiety and depression myself,  I was trying to guide him through.

The track is about hope and being in pain, how at its worst one must stand still and not over think or make any major decisions. Just be still. Not doing anything but just accepting it. Reaching out to friends, getting help, getting guidance and believing you can make it through.”

Video director Astrid Biessy says “The first time I listened to ‘Kom Her’, I was deeply moved - the music has an otherworldly essence. When I close my eyes and listen, I see a sacred connection between all things, between life and death, between nature's creations and human-made granite walls, between the tangible and the invisible, between the old and the present, between those who thrive and those who suffer. It is the weaving of all these elements that creates the visual universe of Kom Her.”

The video for “Jeg Horer Deg” features the incredible mask art of Norway’s Damselfrau and was filmed inside the stunning light installation of artist Anne Katrine Senstads entitled POiESIS, set in a bunker on the coast of Denmark at Regelbau 411.

Cecilie Hafstad shares:

‘Jeg Hører Deg‘ is about a breakup quarrel between a husband and wife, and the final fight they had before leaving each other and going their separate ways. The agony of the push and pull of trying to understand each other, but not getting it at all. The track is a play from each side, both trying, begging to be heard, hoping to fix it and move past it. But even though the love was so strong, they both gave up that day and left one another.

This is a very sensitive and powerful song for me as I channeled back to that fateful day in my early 20s. I got to relive the scene and re-visit my emotions. The heartache and pain of it all. It really helped to heal that wound.  But we all go through it and most can relate. One can still be crazy in love and it ends up not working out.’

“Ra Rising Sun” was born from one of the first improvisational Gabbarein recording sessions on the Fjord in Lyngen, Norway.

Christopher Bono reflects, "This track represents something ancient, something ancestral, something beyond words. In fact, I think it is the track that best reflects our style, displaying the arc of gentleness to intensity that is a defining character of the album."

The duo's creative process for "Ra Rising Sun" unfolded organically, with Christopher playing a simple theme on the kalimba with Cecilie singing into the moment.

Cecilie Hafstad explains, "(Ra Rising Sun) is sung in a channeled 'language' that I do not consciously understand but that made perfect sense to me when I sang and created the track."

She describes the lyrical themes as emphasizing the cyclical nature of life, the struggle for balance, and the profound significance of the sun as a symbol of birth, growth, and consciousness.

This visually captivating music video was produced and directed by Ragnarok Film (Wardruna, Kalandra, Gåte) filmed in multiple locations near Trondheim, Norway exploring incredible nature sites including Trollkirka, aka Troll Church, a waterfall and natural pool in Elnesvågen, Norway.

PROJECT BIO

Gabbarein is the Nordic ethereal folk duo of Norwegian vocalist & sound healer Cecilie Hafstad and American composer & producer Christopher Bono (Ghost Against Ghost, Nous Alpha, NOUS).

In early 2018, Christopher approached his longtime friend Cecilie to record a project within the Arctic Circle in the north of Norway. He had found himself creatively starved after an arduous year renovating an old barn in New York’s Hudson Valley that was designed to be the new Our Silent Canvas label studio. This artistic dry spell motivated him to curate four collaborative projects in 2018, one of which became Gabbarein. Gabbarein was born from the love and admiration Christopher had developed for Cecilie’s voice, after recording her vocal improvisations on the ambient last track of Ghost Against Ghost’s 2017 album still love. Her authentic emotion, timbre and Scandinavian inflections left a lasting impression on him, and over time he felt a strong intention to produce a project devoted to framing her unique voice like a visual artist would frame the primary subject of a painting.

Guided by only this intention and their enduring, trusted friendship, the duo (along with Christopher’s wife Karina) scheduled a week-long recording session at a a surreal location on the water’s edge in Lyngen, Norway. They turned the living room of a rented house into a temporary recording studio and set themselves up to create music while looking out at an awesome Fjord lined with sharp mountains rising up across the shore, during the summer season of the Norwegian midnight sun.

There was no pre-written material or lyrics brought to the sessions. Cecilie had no idea what they were planning to do as the two had not discussed a musical approach beforehand. However, Christopher had recently finished two improvisational projects and had a history of performing and producing improvisational music. These experiences allowed him to trust in the moment unfolding during the recording process. This spontaneous approach was uncomfortable for Cecilie at first, but once they got into the comfort of routine, she also began to trust the vast creative and spacious opportunity that this approach offered. As she fell into a flow with it, lyrics and melodies began to easily appear.

On the first morning, Cecilie went for a short walk and came upon a clump of white fur on a rock by the shore. That evening the strange fur revealed itself to be from an injured female White Reindeer taking refuge at the shore’s edge. This stunning animal remained near them the full week and became seen as a spirit guide for the project. Cecilie felt a particularly special connection with the animal, certain that the Reindeer’s presence was energizing her creativity. Later in the week they had a recording session with a local Sámi Shaman who told them of the spiritual significance of sighting of a White Reindeer in the random wild.  The two then decided to name the project Gabbarein (‘white reindeer’ in Sami) after this mystical creature.

Many things coalesced to allow Gabbarein to evolve into the album it became – the sublime Arctic setting of Norway’s northern territory, the mystical appearance of the White Reindeer, Sami culture, the cathartic power of unearthing deeply buried emotions – but the bond between Hafstad and Bono was undoubtedly the basic grounding force.

14 tracks were completed from this fertile set and setting. The album is built on emotive improvised vocals framed by sensitive, sparse textures and arrangements and a variety of instrumentation including synths, mandolin, kalimba, guitars, flute, violin, mixed percussion, and local nature samples. Most of the tracks have a calming and transcendent aura, while some channel an ancient Scandinavian intensity through pounding rhythms and indigenous melodies.  As a whole, Gabbarein is a moving and powerful listening experience. One the world needs during these turbulent times.