Hanne Hukkelberg — Cassette

Intro

Listening to Hanne Hukkelberg feels like entering a room where every object has a secret life. Her music is built on a foundation of 'antique pop' where the clatter of everyday items, the creak of a floorboard, or the rustle of paper becomes as essential as the melody. It is music that is simultaneously fragile and sturdy, possessing a distinctly Nordic sense of space and shadow.

What makes her truly distinctive is her refusal to settle into a single lane. She can pivot from the skeletal, found-sound intimacy of her early work to the roaring, shoegaze-adjacent intensity of her middle period without losing her core identity. Her voice acts as a guiding thread, often whispered and close-mic'd, making the listener feel like they are being told a secret that is both beautiful and slightly unsettling.

Start with 'Little Things' to understand her playful, eccentric roots, then move to 'Blood From A Stone' to hear her expand into a darker, more cinematic rock sound. If you want the perfect synthesis of both worlds, 'Featherbrain' offers her most mature and challenging work to date.

Hanne Hukkelberg (born 17 April 1979) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and producer from Kongsberg, Norway. Hukkelberg started singing and playing instruments at the age of 3. In her youth, she was a vocalist covering genres such as jazz, rock, and free jazz, and was also a member of the influential doom metal band Funeral in high school, in which she contributed vocals on their second album, In Fields of Pestilent Grief. She earned her degree from the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. Hukkelberg graduated from the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2003, establishing herself as a vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist. It was there she met Kåre Chr. Vestrheim – a tutor who would later become one of Hukkelberg's closest friends and collaborators; also producing her Cast Anchor EP (2003) and breakthrough debut LP Little Things (2004). In 2006 Hukkelberg released her second album Rykestrasse 68. The album was awarded a Norwegian Grammy in 2007 and released to international acclaim, with the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian and BBC leading press plaudits. After extensive touring – including a series of UK/EU/US headlines, a full European run with Wilco, and a special guest performance with José González at New York's Bowery Ballroom – Hukkelberg released Blood From A Stone (2009). It generated steadfast press support and industry interest, including KCRW’s Chris Douridas and film director Andrew Adamson, who commissioned Hukkelberg for an original composition on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian soundtrack. After relocating to New York City Hukkelberg released fourth album Featherbrain to similar acclaim in 2012. The album was hailed a "masterpiece" (The Sunday Times), with Hukkelberg's brazen confidence and steadfast individuality reaching "airtight, impeccable" standards (The Quietus). The corresponding album tour – yet another trans-Atlantic affair, including repeat-dates with Wilco – was followed by an extended live hiatus. In 2014 Hukkelberg temporarily returned to the studio to pursue a series of commissioned works – including a guest collab with Todd Terje and Bryan Ferry on Johnny and Mary. Hukkelberg's fifth studio album – Trust – was released by Propeller Recordings 20 October 2017. Hukkelberg's newest album, Birthmark, was released on 16 August 2019.

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