ALBUM REVIEW: TUNGL BY EIVØR
Reviewed by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Release date: 16 October 2026
Eivør brings down the whole of the ‘Tungl’ on this new album! The album opens with the bodhrán delivering the beat underscoring ‘Og Mánin Græt’ (And The Moon Cried) as the electric guitar riff rings out like it’s being bowed like a violin. Then, the synths twinkle a melody line to create the most gorgeous imagined Nordic soundscape as the layered vocals echo with distortion and actually convey the sound of the Moon crying. It’s a brilliant introduction to the lyricism, the instrumental world and Nordic folk-soundscape created by Eivør on ‘Tungl’.
It is important here to stop and discuss the language as ‘Tungl’ is the Faroese word for ‘Moon’ and the imagery in the sounds and lyricism comes from that land and world. The songs on this album express the contrast between movement and stillness, intimacy and force, and the play of light and shadow and its effects on time as it passes. The thematic idea that “time is a healer” is embedded in this album. Eivør uses such economy in these songs: so, “slow down, lonely dreamer” and let the “age-old song awaken” within.
The song ‘Drekafljóð’ (Dragon Maiden) tells of the music “coming alive in my flesh”. It is a song/poem about the power from within. Eivør reported that she “invited one of my favourite poetic minds, Marjun S. Kjelnæs, to finish the poem with me, and I’m so proud of what we created together”. The music has the atmospheric synths, electronic drum beats, organic percussion in the bodhrán and of course her soaring vocals layered through the mix. ‘Verjugarðar’ (Walls) follows with spectral vocals and a solid drum beat before the atmospheric vocals cut in to deliver a dreamy soundscape. It is an album highlight!
Vocalisations echo and lead in the darker, slower-paced ‘Spøkilsir’ (Revenants). The lyricism concerns the returning of the lost or entities that return from the dead and it’s wrapped in a beautiful melody of strings and synths. It’s haunting! Then, ‘Hinumegin’ (The Other Side) follows with its medieval, evocative glitchy sounds and doom-laden drums and bodhrán. Eivør’s clear vocal is high in the mix as layered backing vocals echo underneath to give that expansive sonic Nordic world. The dark soundscape of the ‘Healer’ explores the idea of time’s healing properties and resilience. It has ethereal layered vocals and big synth lines as the listener is urged to “keep breathing”. The following song has the cry of the violin in ‘Eon’ as the melody against flattened vocals as the “burden on my shoulder/kills my fire/a flicker in the window remains” is a love song about the one who remains “an echo in my chamber” when “the night is cold and dim” It’s just gorgeous!
Synth pulses commence ‘Tann Tú Saknar’ (The One You Long For), a romantic song and it is an album highlight. It has a coquettish and rich soundscape, especially in the echoed vocal layering and the atmospheric drums and percussion. ‘Fangað’ (Trapped) featuring Elinborg (Eivør’s younger sister) has those vocal styles intertwining. It’s a slower, darker, more downbeat song that has that claustrophobic feeling and sense of panic reflected in the vocals and drums. The album closes with the piano melody of ‘Everyone But Me’ about the “storm I am in” and “lost at sea” as the “cold” bites “the skin”. It’s a melancholy ending looking for “peace”. The vocals reflect the torment of the sea hitting the shores. The synths sparkle and twinkle with song as they float and fade away.
‘Tungl’ is shadowy, ethereal and stunning in the light.
