Veslemøy Narvesen - Letting All Light Through (2026) [Hi-Res]

“Letting All Light Through” is Veslemøy Narvesen’s second studio album released under her own name. In recent years, the established drummer and composer has made a mark on the Norwegian music scene as a versatile musician through groups such as Mall Girl, Dafnie, and Schemes Quartet. On her new album she once again appears as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger. Since the release of her debut album in 2023, her music has continued to explore the boundaries between genres, developing into a more ambitious, fully produced, and cohesive result. The album’s 12 tracks are a journey through Narvesen’s musical life so far, stretching the limits of what modern pop music can be.

The recording process for this album stands in contrast to the debut: this time the music is based on a more traditional studio-production approach, rather than a live recording of a band. The music has largely taken shape through overdubs, intuitive ideas, and written-out arrangements. The album was mainly recorded in Oslo together with co-producer Håkon Brunborg in his studio on Pilestredet. Veslemøy and Håkon are responsible for most of the instrumentation on the album, with contributions from a handful of Norway and Europe’s most exciting young musicians. The other musicians featured on the record are Nicolas Leirtrø on double bass and baritone guitar, Ingrid Margitte Narvesen on vocals (Veslemøy’s sister), Bethany Forseth Reichberg on vocals, Sondre Moshagen on synthesizer, Ketija Ringa Karahona on flute, and Oda Holt Günther on violin. The musicians are drawn from Veslemøy’s regular live line-up as well as some new connections, made up of classical and jazz musicians.

On her second album, Veslemøy has allowed the music to embrace more of its classical-music influence, which is especially audible on the tracks “Thread,” “Prelude,” “Mad Lovers,” and “Adore.” Through her parallel collaboration with the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra (Kringkastingsorkesteret), Narvesen wrote the music for this record with that very point of departure. The music is therefore more ambitious, featuring intricate string arrangements and expansive passages with richer palettes of colour, timbre, and complex harmonic landscapes. Major sources of inspiration include names such as Ethan Gruska and Susanne Sundfør, as well as Magdalena Bay and Radiohead.

The album’s atmosphere can be seen as twofold: a depiction of both darkness and light, despair and hope. The “cold” and machine-like soundscape is represented by drum machines, synths, and samplers. The warm and intimate sound is represented by the recurring, close-miked upright piano, strings, and harps. The album’s themes are about precisely this ability to hold both the bright and the dark—every colour and complexity in human emotion. “Letting All Light Through” is a phrase that surrenders to the inescapable hope that exists within us as human beings, and which by nature will allays press in and return after periods of darkness.

Veslemøy Narvesen,drums, percussion
Nicolas Leirtrø, double bass, baritone guitar
Ingrid Margitte Narvesen, vocals (Veslemøy’s sister)
Bethany Forseth Reichberg, vocals
Sondre Moshagen, synthesizer
Ketija Ringa Karahona, flute
Oda Holt Günther, violin