The Setting, Eivind Opsvik, Elias Stemeseder & Will Graefe - The Setting (2026) [Hi-Res]

The Setting, a trio of bassist and composer Eivind Opsvik, Elias Stemeseder on piano and synthesizers, and Will Graefe on acoustic guitars, release their debut album of the same name.
This stunning ten-song record brings to fruition a seed that Eivind Opsvik has been carrying with him for about a decade. Sounds and sensibilities that have enchanted the composer and bassist take form in a very particular combination long dreamt of: The Setting honors Opsvik’s love of 70s and 80s synthesizer music, ECM guitar albums, and experimental art pop, but sets these aesthetics in a considered conversation with boldly acoustic elements like the earthy upright bass, acoustic guitar, and harpsichord.
This juxtaposition, only emphasized by the conspicuous and artful absence of a drummer, makes for a dreamlike listening experience, persuasive and melancholic –– inviting rumination and playing with though never fully giving into nostalgia. The Setting is uncanny.