I have been looking forward to every new Kalandra release since “A Frame Of Mind“, so when “Let Me Be Open” appeared on 28 August, I was immediately curious to hear what it was about.
“Let Me Be Open” is the first single from Kalandra upcoming third studio album, “The Other Side“, which will be released on 13 November through By Norse Music.
The song immediately feels like Kalandra. There is that familiar atmosphere, the combination of Nordic folk influences, darker textures, signature riffs and Katrine Stenbekk‘s distinctive voice. But there is also something quite open and almost uplifting about it, which makes the song particularly interesting.
LYRICS
Let me be open
And ready to receive
Bring back the joy
I used to have as a kid
Let me unravel
The threads I’ve pulled too tight
Fear is a whisper
That lingers in my mind
Let me be open
And ready to receive
Bring back the joy
I used to have as a kid
Help me remember
How wonder feels inside
Feels like my shadow
Needs a place to hide
Let me be open
And ready to receive
Bring back the joy
I used to have as a kid
Out of the silence
A softer voice appears
Reminding me gently
Not to be ruled by fearThe Other Side
The band have built the album around dreams, nightmares and the subconscious. They kept dream journals and used fragments from those dreams as inspiration for the songwriting, exploring the strange territory where memories, fears and imagination can overlap.
I very often have vivid memories of my dreams. Some of them go back years, even to dreams I had as a kid, and I can still remember certain images, places or feelings quite clearly. I have never really known what to do with those memories, though. They just stay somewhere in the back of my mind. So I am very curious to hear what Kalandra have done with their own dream experiences, and how those fragments became songs.
That concept runs through the album, but it is not simply an album about dreams. Kalandra have also described “The Other Side” as dealing with folklore, introspection, life and death.
The album contains ten tracks, with two collaborations with Icelandic band Árstíðir and a guest appearance from Elinborg.
European Tour
And fortunately, we will not have to experience the new album only through our headphones. The band have announced their biggest European headline tour to date for 2027, taking “The Other Side” on the road across Europe.
The tour will also bring them back to Poland, with two dates confirmed:
12 March 2027, Kraków, Hype Park
13 March 2027, Warsaw, Niebo
New Zealand singer songwriter Finnegan Tui will join Kalandra as a special guest on the European tour.
