Listeners will drift through soundscapes with even greater expanses than before as Geir Sundstøl releases his new album, Sakte Film, on May 23, 2025. This marks Sundstøl’s sixth solo album on Hubro and his tenth anniversary as a solo artist.
Geir Sundstøl has had a rich and varied career, to say the least. Within the HUBRO universe, his music has remained a pillar for years, and Sakte Film is no exception. However, this release embraces a broader scope, with multiple layers of strings that create even more room for resonance and exploration. Sundstøl explains:
– What sets this album apart from my previous ones is, first and foremost, the string arrangements. Erik Sollid, Sunniva Shaw, Håkon Brunborg, and Mari Persen have contributed with violin, viola, and cello, adding a new dimension. More heart and sorrow. That’s what it all comes down to for me—moving people with music. To soothe and to shake.
The music transcends genres and is difficult to categorize. It shifts from folk to jazz, from fluid to forceful. Sundstøl remarks:
– I realized that it might be tricky—if not downright impossible—to categorize this music. If that’s the case, then I’ve achieved what I set out to do.
Sakte Film takes us through (at least) nine landscapes, and in true Sundstøl fashion, we are invited into the world of various string instruments. The journey begins with Mats, a song named in honor of fellow musician Mats Eilertsen and built upon one of his magical bass riffs. A grand track featuring two drummers, floating-string textures, and a newly acquired bulbul tarang. This is followed by National tricone and then pedal steel through a Leslie speaker.
Sundstøl has composed a great deal of music for TV and radio, and the tracks Broder and Divanwere both created for that purpose. He shares:
– The melody for Broder was originally composed for the podcast Usagt in 2018. I played everything myself: pedal steel, Minimoog, Juno-6, Casio organ, timpani, harmonica, food processor, garage, and tubular bells. It sounds a bit like Tangerine Dream with Flåklypa harmonica. Divan was initially created as background music for a slow love scene in the TV series “So Long, Marianne” about Leonard Cohen. The request was for something warm and beautiful—something that conveys longing.
Throughout Sakte Film, a melodic thread runs through every track. In Nabel, the creeping melody on Shankar guitar and pedal steel sends chills down your spine. Meanwhile, Snille spøkelse(Gentle Ghost) is a warm patchwork of trumpet and vocals—the only track featuring vocals and lyrics—delicately and mysteriously performed by Sanne Rambags, Ivar Orvedal, and Hildegun Øiseth on brass.
Sundstøl explains what ties all the tracks together and makes this release unique: – A common factor in all the songs on Sakte Film is that they were created using cut-and-paste techniques. Much of it was recorded on analog tape, but this time, it was rarely more than one or two people present at the moment of creation. I’m very happy with the musical expression, but socially speaking, I probably could’ve benefited from meeting the entire Spirit in the Dark band, for example. They might not agree, though —this was right in the middle of the Christmas album season. I’ve actually never met violinist Erik Sollid. That would’ve been nice. Going for a walk. Perhaps sharing a popcorn at a cinema.
Sakte Film was mixed by Baard Ingebrigtsen and mastered by Helge Sten. The album will be released on LP, CD, and digital formats via Hubro
