EIVØR Wins USA Songwriting Competition

She's serenaded crowds from the UEFA Champions League to The Game Awards, but on her latest album, Eivør reached several new milestones. The Faroe Islands superstar performed songs off ENN to sold-out crowds from Red Rocks to Hellfest. 

Now, to kick off 2025 ahead of her upcoming North American tour, Eivør is proud to announce that she has been named a winner of the 29th USA Songwriting Competition. Her gently pulsating first single from ENN, "Jarðartrá / Dust to Dust", won the award for Best World music.    

"I am thrilled and honored for our song 'Jarðartrá (Dust To Dust)' to have won the USA Songwriting Competition in the 'World Music' category", Eivør says.  
 
"The track is a joint effort between myself and the Faroes poet Marjun Syderbø Kjelnæs - my long-time lyrical collaborator and dear friend.

I'm grateful to my dear Tróndur Bogason for co-production and arrangements on this track and to my band mates Mikael, Per, Mattias and Theodor for generously pouring your beautiful creativity into each note and each beat".

We are grateful and truly honoured to receive this prestigious award. Thank you
."

“Jarðartrá” was an especially fitting first single for ENN. Just like the extreme contrasts that define life at her home in the Faroe Islands, the song is dark yet glistening, swirling but propulsive. Eivør inhabits the perspective of a wounded mother earth, who calls to us with a steadily thumping bassline that’s as dark and warm as our planet’s molten core. “Come lie down in my blue embrace”, she sings, reaching into her operatic register, as if beckoning us toward the light.     

"When I wrote this song, I envisioned the earth in its rawest elements: oceans, volcanoes, storms, soil”,  Eivør remembers. “We all have echoes of these elements within us, but maybe we tend to forget that we are part of nature and its endless circle of decay and growth”.

ENN is now available on Season of Mist.

Order & Stream

https://orcd.co/eivorenn

Hear Eivør perform the award-winning “Jarðartrá” and other songs from her world-renowned, 25-year discography next month when she tours North America with Sylvaine. Their shows in Toronto and San Francisco are already sold out. Tickets for Seattle, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Montreal and Silver Springs are all moving fast.  

Get tickets at eivor.com

Eivør USA & Canada Tour 2025 w/ special guest Sylvaine

February 2 - Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl [TICKETS]
February 4 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre [TICKETS] [LOW TICKETS]
February 5 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom [TICKETS]
February 7 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord [SOLD OUT]
February 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco [TICKETS] [LOW TICKETS]
February 11 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall [TICKETS]
February 12 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater [TICKETS]
February 14 - Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center [TICKETS][SOLD OUT]
February 15 - Madison, WI @ Majestic [TICKETS]
February 16 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall [TICKETS]
February 18 - Toronto, ON @ Great Hall [SOLD OUT]
February 19 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount [TICKETS] [LOW TICKETS]
February 21 - Somerville, MA @ Somerville Theatre [TICKETS]
February 22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg [TICKETS]
February 23 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore [TICKETS] [LOW TICKETS]

After independently releasing her music for many years, ENN marks Eivør’s debut for the metal label Season of Mist—and though her compositions sit outside of any one genre, she is happy to be embraced by the metal community. She identified a shared pagan sensibility in her television scores like The Last Kingdom. “I never felt I really fit into any box,” said Eivør. “I just have to do it my own way.” Recorded with her touring band in the Faroe Islands—where she now lives again, splitting time between her homeland and Denmark—Eivør called ENN “my most pleasurable and also most painful process. I felt that I was stepping into a place where I hadn’t been before, and that’s always scary because you don’t feel that you touch the ground. But it opens up your creativity and takes you to someplace new. It’s woven together all my experiences for the past 10 years, and it’s grounded me.” 

 

Recording line-up

Eivør: Vocals, Guitars

Mattias Kapnas: Piano, Rhodes and Synths 

Mikael Blak: Bass & Synths. Guitars on ‘Upp úr øskuni’ 

Per I Højgaard Petersen: Drums & Soundscaping 

Strings performed by Lýra: 

1st violin: Sigrún Harðardóttir 

2nd violin: Sigrún Kristbjörg Jónsdóttir 

Viola: Karl James Pestka 

Cello: Unnur Jónsdóttir

Choir on ‘Ein klóta': Eivør, Tróndur, Hans Mols Mortensen, Greta Svabo Beck and Fred Ruddick  

Recording studio
Studio Bloch (Faroe Islands), Hljóðritið (Iceland), Jardin Acoustique (France) and in Eivør’s portable studio in various corners of the world.   

Production, engineering and recording
Produced & arranged by Eivør and Tróndur 

Beat production by Eivør and Per I. Højgaard Petersen 

Recorded and engineered by Theodor Kapnas at Studio Bloch (Faroe Islands)  

Additional recordings and engineering by Fred Ruddick at Jardin Acoustique (France) 

Strings recorded by Guðmundur Kristinn Jónsson and Gestur Sveinsson at Hljóðriti (Iceland) 

Mixing 
Theodor Kapnas 

Mastering
Robin Schmidt at 24-96 Mastering

Creative direction
Eivør and Leif Podhajsky 

Artwork
Leif Podhajsky

​Photography
Sigga Ella 

Additional landscape photography by Alessio Mesiano 

Order & Stream: https://orcd.co/eivoruppuroskani

Management contact:
Henning Dietz at Neu Management London - henning@neumanagement.com

Booking contact:
Luc Favié at Doomstar -  luc@doomstarbookings.com

Follow Eivør:
https://www.eivor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/eivormusic/
https://www.instagram.com/eivormusic/?hl=en
https://eivor.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/eivormusic
https://twitter.com/eivormusic
https://www.tiktok.com/@eivor_music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2dB4ya2W1Gvng8gjWSPu2H?si=U-2hxkT9RjizmDg52Q-8kA&nd=1

Sylvaine Streaming New EP

"A true labor of love, an exploration of Norwegian heritage and of self-discovery and her work is truly nothing short of inspirational" - Chicago Music Guide 

"Elegant, sublime, pure artistry...its impact can be felt for miles away" - Metal Temple

"This may be music that recalls Sylvaine's Nordic forbears, but it's also music for all of us, wherever we hail from, tugging at primal memories we can't fully comprehend" - Sentinel Daily

On her new EP, Sylvaine calls out from the deepest and darkest depths of emotion, only to reverberate with the ethereal power of her voice. 

Eg Er Framand comes out this Friday, March 22. But you can listen to all six songs today on Season of Mist's YouTube channel.

Listen below.

Sylvaine has grown into a guiding light for ambient post-metal, but her second EP traces back to her earliest roots.  

Kathrine Shepard grew up in Norway, amidst the contrasts between nature and urbanity, on the outskirts of downtown Oslo. While studying music, dance and drama in high school, she performed several times at the Kampen Church. This 19th century relic is where Kathrine recorded most of Eg Er Framand, which includes interpretations of traditional Norwegian folk songs, along with three of her own original songs to the cannon.

When Sylvaine first heard the title track, it hit her like no other song had before. Since then, she's shared "Eg Er Framand" with rapturous audiences everywhere, but this EP is the first time she's captured its magic on record. Each note is held with soft restraint, as if cupped into the palm of her hand, like an offering. Close your eyes and envision her reaching through the trees, into the shadows, as her feet slowly lift off the ground. 

To this day, “Dagsens Augo Sloknar” still has mysterious origins, but the lyrics were written in 1891 by Elias Blix, a professor-turned-politician who also wrote hymns. Staying true to the original’s delicate, reverent melody, Sylvaine sings in a breathy, elongated whisper that’s haunting and soothing, like a shadow. But while it opens with just a steady hum of organ, her rendition ends by pulling you into a trance.

Eg Er Framand intimately explores the transient nature of humanity against a steady, familiar backdrop of Scandinavian landscapes. Ascend with Sylvaine into a land before time that feels both ancient and renewed.

Since Eg Er Framand was announced, Kathrine has been revealing its overarching narrative piece by piece. With the album's arrival on YouTube, she's now giving us its final chapter so that we can read the whole story from start to finish.

A beating heart so pure
Who wished to feel once more
As her eyes slowly opened to the world

She lifted her head
And at once beheld
A light in front of her

A path to take
The choice to make
To lead her on her way

A story about to begin
Of a soul ignited again
On a road to turn loose dismay

This guiding light
So strong and bright
Called out for her to follow

For this life
Could lead to strife
If her core she did not shadow

In heavy rags draped
With a spirit that ached
She started moving forward

As she stumbled thru
A dance of hope grew
The motion to leave her untethered

She reached out for the light
Yet darkness did not fight
To be unbroken, the two should marry

For truths she desired to meet
In this she happiness could seek
Releasing the clasp of woe and worry

This world may seem cold
And peace it might not hold
Yet so much beauty she encountered

But only for a moment in time
Does one get to experience this life
Accepting this gift, she no longer suffered

Sylvaine is embarking on her first-ever solo tour this summer. She'll be performing songs from Eg Er Framand on stages across Europe with her new Season of Mist labelmate Eivør.

"I'm so very excited to be heading out on my first-ever solo tour supporting none other than the wonderfully talented Eivør!", Kathrine says. "I'm honored to be sharing the stage with her and her musicians, and can't wait to showcase my music in a different format. It will be an intimate, emotionally heavy ride. October can't come soon enough!

Get tickets at: eivor.com

In preparation for their tour together, Eivør and Sylvaine put together a playlist of their favorite songs. Get in the mood with some of the choice cuts off Nova and the soundtracks to The Last Kingdom and God of War Ragnarök.


Stream:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7k4ImSEttiL9O6gOQ1tmrn

Kathrine Shepard, the visionary artist behind the evocative musical project SYLVAINE, weaves an intricate tapestry of emotions through the language of music. A transcendental bridge between worlds, a mesmerizing duality that encapsulates the beautiful and the harsh, light and darkness, serenity and chaos, and the delicate balance between the external world and the inner sanctum of the soul. It is a symphony that harmonizes the human experience with its spiritual origins – a resonance of something beyond the tangible.

Sylvaine’s compositions are a visceral journey through the vast spectrum of emotions that the complexities of the human experience have to offer. They encapsulate the inherent struggle of being an entity in this world, yet not entirely of it. Kathrine’s music serves as a conduit for her innermost feelings, a cathartic expression of the eternal longing that resides within the very core of her melodies.

Akin to a fairytale spun from the threads of Norwegian folklore, a narrative that resonates with the spirits of ancient woods and the whispers of long forgotten creatures. With every ethereal note and haunting melody, she conjures images of untamed forests, of misty clearings inhabited by mystical beings. In this artistry, there is an undeniable sense of transcendence, where listeners are transported beyond the confines of the ordinary into a dreamscape where reality and fantasy converge. A profound sense of wonder and allure creates a unique musical alchemy – with a touch of enchantment that lingers long after the music has ceased.

With four albums and one split-EP released to date, Sylvaine’s ethereal soundscapes have been taken to stages across Europe, North America and South America, leaving audiences mesmerized by the transcendent power of the band’s live performances. Two of these albums have been nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Awards Spellemannprisen in the category of metal. The ability to transport listeners to otherworldly realm through her music is a manifestation of the artistry & profound impact the band can bring.

As Sylvaine prepares to unveil her upcoming EP, Eg Er Framand, she embarks on a deeply introspective and serene journey through the rich tapestry of Norwegian heritage and tradition. Folk tales of old are brought to life in this new chapter of her musical odyssey, offering a glimpse into the depths of her creative spirit and an exploration of the roots that anchor her artistry. A reflection of myths is embraced through exquisite sonic realms.

Line-up
Sylvaine - Vocals, Church Organ, Guitars, Synthesizers & Percussion

Recording Studio
Kampen Kirke

Sound Engineer
Sylvaine

Mixing Engineer
Magnus Lindberg (Magnus Lindberg Productions/VRTKL Audio/Redmount Studio)

Mastering Engineer
Karl Daniel Lidén

Biography:Sébastien Gamez

Cover art & Photography:Helena Aguilar Mayans

Layout & Graphic Design: Dehn Sora

Pre-save:
https://orcd.co/egerframand

Pre-order:
https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/sylvaine-eg-er-framand 

Links:
Official Website: https://www.sylvainemusic.com/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sylvaine/455094955
Bandcamp: https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5C9ocrDvsfSz8qcxG70QEe
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/SylvaineMusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoMxOgKpnqGrj-impj1wDQ
Last.FM: https://www.last.fm/music/Sylvaine

Booking Contact:
Alexander Obert - alexander@doomstarbookings.com

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Coke Bottle Green

Sylvaine Releases Title Track Off New EP

On her new EP, Sylvaine traces back to her roots in Norwegian folk music. Eg Er Framand was recorded at the Kampen Church in Oslo, where she performed while studying music in high school.

When Sylvaine first heard the title track, it hit her like no other song had before. Since then, she's shared this song with rapturous audiences everywhere. Today, she's releasing a new recording of "Eg Er Framand" that finds her searching for a higher, lonely power.  

Watch the shadowy and serene visualizer for "Eg Er Framand" below.

Eg Er Framand is out March 22 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineEgErFramand
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/egerframand

Kathrine Shepard has grown into a guiding light for post-metal. As Sylvaine, her white-hot tremolo picking can ignite the coldest and blackest of hearts. She plays every instrument on Eg Er Framand, but the title track has no enchanting synths or eerie organ hums. Instead, the EP's emotional centerpiece is solely powered by her otherworldly voice.

Kjaere Herre (Dear being of light)
om eitt eg ber deg (With this I beg of you)
Fylg og lei meg (Take my hand)
fylg og le meg alltid du (Show me the way always you)


Sylvaine holds each note with soft restraint, as if cupped into the palm of her hand, like an offering. Close your eyes and envision her reaching through the trees, into the shadows, as her feet slowly lift off the ground. 

"In the spring of 2023, when I had the idea to base this EP around Norwegian Folk music, I knew this song would be its center piece", Kathrine says. "This song has taken a place deep within my soul. My first meeting with 'Eg Er Framand' truly shook me to my core. Immediately, I knew that I wanted to share this incredibly beautiful piece. I have performed 'Eg Er Framand' on stages all around the world. Very often, I've been met with the exact same intense, emotional response from the audience. I have no idea who wrote this song, but it speaks to the exact same feelings I've spent the last 10 years trying to capture with Sylvaine".  

The visualizer for "Eg Er Framand" was created by William Lacalmontie

Praise for Sylvaine

"Sylvaine's knack for sound placement is impeccable...[her] guitar melodies and voice shine with a brilliant light" - Angry Metal Guy

"Sylvaine is an incredibly mature and ridiculously talented new artist...her music is utterly beautiful, playing on old paradigms but exploiting them in ways that will carry you off to a land that you once thought make-believe" - Metal Injection

"Lush and evocative...bridging dark folk, shoegaze and atmospheric black metal, Sylvaine's widescreen approach to music has always been distinct" - New Noise

"Heavy yet delicate, huge yet intimate" - Ghost Cult

"Everything feels deliberate; every melody, every word, every note feels carefully and lovingly arranged just so" - Nine Circles

The lead single off Eg Er Framand comes from similarly mysterious origins.

The lyrics to "Dagsens Augo Sloknar Ut" were written in 1891 by Elias Blix, a professor-turned-politician, who also wrote hymns. Staying true to the original's delicate, reverent melody, Sylvaine sings in a breathy, elongated whisper that's both haunting and soothing. 

Watch as Kathrine dances across a magnificent tapestry of poetic landscapes in the song's official video, which was directed and produced by William Lacalmontie.

Sylvaine is embarking on her first-ever solo tour this summer. She'll be performing songs from Eg Er Framand on stages across Europe with her new Season of Mist labelmate Eivør. 

"I'm so very excited to be heading out on my first-ever solo tour supporting none other than the wonderfully talented Eivør!", Kathrine says. "I'm honored to be sharing the stage with her and her musicians, and can't wait to showcase my music in a different format. It will be an intimate, emotionally heavy ride. October can't come soon enough!" 

Get tickets at eivor.com

In preparation for their tour together, Eivør and Sylvaine put together a playlist of their favorite songs. Get in the mood with some of the choice cuts off Nova and the soundtracks to The Last Kingdom and God of War Ragnarök. 


Stream:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7k4ImSEttiL9O6gOQ1tmrn

Photo by Helena Aguilar Mayans

Kathrine Shepard, the visionary artist behind the evocative musical project SYLVAINE, weaves an intricate tapestry of emotions through the language of music. A transcendental bridge between worlds, a mesmerizing duality that encapsulates the beautiful and the harsh, light and darkness, serenity and chaos, and the delicate balance between the external world and the inner sanctum of the soul. It is a symphony that harmonizes the human experience with its spiritual origins – a resonance of something beyond the tangible.

Sylvaine’s compositions are a visceral journey through the vast spectrum of emotions that the complexities of the human experience have to offer. They encapsulate the inherent struggle of being an entity in this world, yet not entirely of it. Kathrine’s music serves as a conduit for her innermost feelings, a cathartic expression of the eternal longing that resides within the very core of her melodies.

Akin to a fairytale spun from the threads of Norwegian folklore, a narrative that resonates with the spirits of ancient woods and the whispers of long forgotten creatures. With every ethereal note and haunting melody, she conjures images of untamed forests, of misty clearings inhabited by mystical beings. In this artistry, there is an undeniable sense of transcendence, where listeners are transported beyond the confines of the ordinary into a dreamscape where reality and fantasy converge. A profound sense of wonder and allure creates a unique musical alchemy – with a touch of enchantment that lingers long after the music has ceased.

With four albums and one split-EP released to date, Sylvaine’s ethereal soundscapes have been taken to stages across Europe, North America and South America, leaving audiences mesmerized by the transcendent power of the band’s live performances. Two of these albums have been nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Awards Spellemannprisen in the category of metal. The ability to transport listeners to otherworldly realm through her music is a manifestation of the artistry & profound impact the band can bring.

As Sylvaine prepares to unveil her upcoming EP, Eg Er Framand, she embarks on a deeply introspective and serene journey through the rich tapestry of Norwegian heritage and tradition. Folk tales of old are brought to life in this new chapter of her musical odyssey, offering a glimpse into the depths of her creative spirit and an exploration of the roots that anchor her artistry. A reflection of myths is embraced through exquisite sonic realms.

Line-up
Sylvaine - Vocals, Church Organ, Guitars, Synthesizers & Percussion

Recording Studio
Kampen Kirke

Sound Engineer
Sylvaine

Mixing Engineer
Magnus Lindberg (Magnus Lindberg Productions/VRTKL Audio/Redmount Studio)

Mastering Engineer
Karl Daniel Lidén

Biography:Sébastien Gamez

Cover art & Photography:Helena Aguilar Mayans

Layout & Graphic Design: Dehn Sora

Pre-save:
https://orcd.co/egerframand

Pre-order:
https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/sylvaine-eg-er-framand 

Links:
Official Website: https://www.sylvainemusic.com/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sylvaine/455094955
Bandcamp: https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5C9ocrDvsfSz8qcxG70QEe
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/SylvaineMusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoMxOgKpnqGrj-impj1wDQ
Last.FM: https://www.last.fm/music/Sylvaine

Booking Contact:
Alexander Obert - alexander@doomstarbookings.com

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Coke Bottle Green

Sylvaine Announces New EP

SYLVAINE has grown into a guiding light for ambient post-metal and atmospheric black metal. But today, she's tracing back to her roots on Eg Er Framand.

Growing up in Norway, amidst the contrasts between nature and urbanity, Kathrine Shepard often performed in the Kampen Church in Oslo. This 19th century relic is where she recorded the entirety of her ethereal new EP.

Lead single "Dagsens Augo Sloknar" comes from mysterious origins. The lyrics were written in 1891 by Elias Blix, a professor-turned-politician, who also wrote hymns. Staying true to the original's delicate, reverent melody, Sylvaine sings in a breathy, elongated whisper that's both haunting and soothing.

The music video for "Dagsens Augo Sloknar Ut" was directed and produced by William Lacalmontie. Kathrine dances and enchants across a magnificent tapestry of poetic landscapes, striking the beautiful balance that's at the heart of Eg Er Framand.

Watch the video below.

Eg Er Framand is out March 22 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineEgErFramand
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/egerframand

With "Dagsens Augo Sloknar Ut", Sylvaine opens the book on an intricate, transformative fairy tale.

"A beating heart so pure
Who wished to feel once more
As her eyes slowly opened to the world

She lifted her head
And at once beheld
A light in front of her

A path to take
The choice to make
To lead her on her way

A story about to begin
Of a soul ignited again
On a road to turn loose dismay?
"

Kathrine Shepard, the visionary artist behind the evocative musical project SYLVAINE, weaves an intricate tapestry of emotions through the language of music. A transcendental bridge between worlds, a mesmerizing duality that encapsulates the beautiful and the harsh, light and darkness, serenity and chaos, and the delicate balance between the external world and the inner sanctum of the soul. It is a symphony that harmonizes the human experience with its spiritual origins – a resonance of something beyond the tangible.

Sylvaine’s compositions are a visceral journey through the vast spectrum of emotions that the complexities of the human experience have to offer. They encapsulate the inherent struggle of being an entity in this world, yet not entirely of it. Katherine’s music serves as a conduit for her innermost feelings, a cathartic expression of the eternal longing that resides within the very core of her melodies.

Akin to a fairytale spun from the threads of Norwegian folklore, a narrative that resonates with the spirits of ancient woods and the whispers of long forgotten creatures. With every ethereal note and haunting melody, she conjures images of untamed forests, of misty clearings inhabited by mystical beings. In this artistry, there is an undeniable sense of transcendence, where listeners are transported beyond the confines of the ordinary into a dreamscape where reality and fantasy converge. A profound sense of wonder and allure creates a unique musical alchemy – with a touch of enchantment that lingers long after the music has ceased.

With four albums and one split-EP released to date, Sylvaine’s ethereal soundscapes have been taken to stages across Europe, North America and South America, leaving audiences mesmerized by the transcendent power of the band’s live performances. Two of these albums have been nominated for the Norwegian Grammy Awards Spellemannprisen in the category of metal. The ability to transport listeners to otherworldly realm through her music is a manifestation of the artistry & profound impact the band can bring.

As Sylvaine prepares to unveil her upcoming EP, Eg Er Framand, she embarks on a deeply introspective and serene journey through the rich tapestry of Norwegian heritage and tradition. Folk tales of old are brought to life in this new chapter of her musical odyssey, offering a glimpse into the depths of her creative spirit and an exploration of the roots that anchor her artistry. A reflection of myths is embraced through exquisite sonic realms.

Line-up
Sylvaine - Vocals, Church Organ, Guitars, Synthesizers & Percussion

Recording Studio
Kampen Kirke

Sound Engineer
Sylvaine

Mixing Engineer
Magnus Lindberg (Magnus Lindberg Productions/VRTKL Audio/Redmount Studio)

Mastering Engineer
Karl Daniel Lidén

Biography:Sébastien Gamez

Cover art & Photography:Helena Aguilar Mayans

Layout & Graphic Design: Dehn Sora

Pre-save:
https://orcd.co/egerframand

Pre-order:
https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/sylvaine-eg-er-framand 

Links:
Official Website: https://www.sylvainemusic.com/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sylvaine/455094955
Bandcamp: https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5C9ocrDvsfSz8qcxG70QEe
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/SylvaineMusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoMxOgKpnqGrj-impj1wDQ
Last.FM: https://www.last.fm/music/Sylvaine

Booking Contact:
Alexander Obert - alexander@doomstarbookings.com

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Coke Bottle Green

Photo by Helena Aguilar Mayans

SYLVAINE Nominated for Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannsprisen) for 'Nova'

STREAM // ORDER 'NOVA' HERE

Season of Mist is pleased to announce that Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE has once again been nominated for a Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Grammy) award! SYLVAINE is nominated for 2022's opus, 'Nova,' in the "Best Metal Album of 2022" category!

SYLVAINE was previously nominated for a Spellemannprisen in 2019 for 'Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone,' making history as the first female artist nominated for the award in the "Best Metal Album Category!"

'Nova' was met with much critical-acclaim and named among one of the best metal albums of 2022 by Ghost Cult Magazine, A&P Reacts, Heaviest of Art, Infernal Masquerade, Forgemaster Metal Reviews, and more!

In addition, SYLVAINE is now embarking on a European headliner with support from E-L-R! The trek kicks off today, March 6 and will conclude on March 12! The full run can be found below!

Stream/download/order 'Nova' HERE.

ICYMI: SYLVAINE has just launched her very own signature tea in collaboration with BrutaliTeas! "Apples Aligned, Coming Undone" is an apple crème brulée loose leaf tea created with ceylon black tea, gunpowder green tea, apple pieces, cinnamon, natural candy apple and crème brulée flavors, rose hips, rose petals, and marigold flowers and comes just in time for the autumn season! The tea can be ordered HERE and will also be available on SYLVAINE's merch table for the upcoming EU tour!

Additional details for the tea can also be found HERE.

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Tracklist:
01. Nova (04:36)
02. Mono No Aware (09:42)
03. Nowhere, Still Somewhere (04:34)
04. Fortapt (11:55)
05. I Close My Eyes So I Can See (05:16)
06. Everything Must Come To An End (07:47)
Total duration: 43:52
07. Dissolution (Bonus track) (05:58)

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/ 
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/ 
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/ 
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic 
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic 
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/ 

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:  
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar 
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums  
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals  
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova 

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Unveils New Music Video for "Everything Must Come to An End"

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE is now revealing a brand new music video for the song, "Everything Must Come to An End," which is taken from her latest opus, 'Nova!' The video, which was created by William Lacalmontie, can be found below.

SYLVAINE comments on the video: "This song…. There’s always at least one track on every album that resonates extremely deeply with me every time I revisit it in any way and 'Everything Must Come To An End' is definitely one of those on "Nova". It was the first song written for 'Nova' yet was somehow a prediction of what life would become shortly after. The whole album is colored by the emotions expressed in this specific track, especially regarding the impermanence of all. An emotionally heavy conclusion to an album that was awfully hard to make, 'Everything Must come To An End' is a track I'm not sure I'll ever be able to perform live, hence why I wanted to give people a chance to see some sort of performance of it. Director and creator William Lacalmontie captured a perfect, intimate balance between heartbreaking and heartwarming in this video, something I feel extremely grateful for. He managed to create a visual that perfectly embraces every aspect of this song."

The video release is in conjunction with SYLVAINE's forthcoming headlining European tour, which kicks off on December 7 in her hometown of Oslo (NO)! The full itinerary can be found below!

SYLVAINE is supporting the release of her brand new fourth studio album, 'Nova,' which is out NOW! In addition, the previously sold-out vinyl is now repressed and back in stock in the blueberry marble color! Stream/download/order HERE.

SYLVAINE has just launched her very own signature tea in collaboration with BrutaliTeas! "Apples Aligned, Coming Undone" is an apple crème brulée loose leaf tea created with ceylon black tea, gunpowder green tea, apple pieces, cinnamon, natural candy apple and crème brulée flavors, rose hips, rose petals, and marigold flowers and comes just in time for the autumn season! The tea can be ordered HERE and will also be available on SYLVAINE's merch table for the upcoming EU tour!

Additional details for the tea can also be found HERE.

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Announces Signature Tea, "Apples Aligned, Coming Undone"

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE is now revealing her very own signature tea in collaboration with BrutaliTeas! "Apples Aligned, Coming Undone" is an apple crème brulée loose leaf tea created with ceylon black tea, gunpowder green tea, apple pieces, cinnamon, natural candy apple and crème brulée flavors, rose hips, rose petals, and marigold flowers and comes just in time for the autumn season! The tea can be ordered HERE and is available worldwide.

Additional details for the tea can also be found HERE.

SYLVAINE comments, "Autumn is probably my favorite season, with all its beautiful color changes and all the yummy produce that appears around this time of year. I’ve always had a strong love for warm spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and so forth, so when I got the opportunity to do this collaboration with Brutaliteas, I really wanted to make a blend that utilized those warm flavor notes. Apples being one of the trademark fruits of fall and also a wonderful partner for all of these spices, became the natural base flavor for my blend, in combination with notes of vanilla and caramel, alluding to the classic French dessert créme brûlée.

"Being a huge fan of everything sweet, I’m super excited to present this black dessert tea to all of you, hoping you will dig it just as much as I do! The best way to enjoy a big cup of this apple créme brûlée tea, is during a cold autumn/winter evening, curled up under a blanket and playing some season appropriate music (did someone say October Rust...?). If you in addition are able to pair it with either a burning fire, moon light or some beautiful nature landscapes, you are all set!"


This December, SYLVAINE will be embarking on a headlining tour across Europe, in which she will make the tea available at her merch table! The full itinerary can be found below!

SYLVAINE is supporting the release of her brand new fourth studio album, 'Nova,' which is out NOW! In addition, the previously sold-out vinyl is now repressed and back in stock in the blueberry marble color! Stream/download/order HERE.

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE to Support ZEAL & ARDOR on North American tour

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE will be directly supporting ZEAL & ARDOR on their upcoming fall headlining tour! The trek kicks off on September 11 in Brooklyn, NY and concludes in Berkeley, CA on October 7. Ticket pre-sales have started and will go on sale to the public on Thursday, June 30 @ 10:00 A.M. EDT. The full itinerary and ticket links can be found below!

SYLVAINE is supporting the release of her brand new fourth studio album, 'Nova,' which is out NOW! Stream/download/order HERE.

SYLVAINE North American Tour (w/ AMORPHIS, UADA, + HOAXED):
09/11: Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw [TICKETS]
09/12: Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts [TICKETS]
09/13: Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East [TICKETS]
09/15: Montreal, QC @ Le Studio TD [TICKETS]
09/16: Toronto, ON @ The Opera House [TICKETS]
09/18: Detroit, MI @ El Club [TICKETS]
09/19: Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge [TICKETS]
09/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club [TICKETS]
09/23: Calgary, AB @ Dickens [TICKETS]
09/24: Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room [TICKETS]
09/26: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre [TICKETS]
09/27: Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
09/28: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre [TICKETS]
10/01: Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre [TICKETS]
10/03: Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom [TICKETS]
10/04: San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick [TICKETS]
10/05: Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex [TICKETS]
10/07: Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone [TICKETS]

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Kicks Off First Ever North American Tour

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE will be kicking off her first ever North American tour tonight, April 18, in Pittsburgh, PA in support ofAMORPHIS, along with UADA and HOAXED! SYLVAINE will do all remaining dates until the tour concludes in Baltimore, MD on May 12. The full run of dates can be found below! Tickets are on sale now at THIS LOCATION.

SYLVAINE is supporting the release of her brand new fourth studio album, 'Nova,' which is out NOW! Stream/download/order HERE.

SYLVAINE North American Tour (w/ AMORPHIS, UADA, + HOAXED):
04/18: Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre [TICKETS]
04/19: Joliet, IL @ The Forge [TICKETS]
04/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre [TICKETS]
04/22: Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater [TICKETS]
04/23: Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell [TICKETS]
04/25: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre [TICKETS]
04/26: Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial [TICKETS]
04/27: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon [TICKETS]
04/29: San Francisco, CA @ The UC Theatre [TICKETS]
04/30: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre [TICKETS]
05/01: Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater [TICKETS]
05/03: Austin, TX @ Come and Take it Live [TICKETS]
05/04: Dallas, TX @ Amplified Theater [TICKETS]
05/06: Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage (The Loft) [TICKETS]
05/07: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum [TICKETS]
05/08: Orlando, FL @ The Abbey [TICKETS]
05/10: Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre [TICKETS]
05/11: Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry [TICKETS]
05/12: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage [TICKETS]

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Shares New Song Collaboration with CARPENTER BRUT

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE has teamed up with dark synth project CARPENTER BRUT for a brand new song, "Stabat Mater," which is taken from CARPENTER BRUT's new album, 'Leather Terror.' The song can be heard below.

SYLVAINE comments on the collaboration: "Working with Carpenter Brut was a very inspiring collaborative experience, allowing me to explore some musical territories I hadn't been much within before. Having a lot of creative freedom on the track, I decided to work with the duality between very legato, almost ghostly sounding vocal lines, along with more rhythmic, strict background vocals towards the end. I had so much fun working on this track, both lyrically and vocally speaking, and feel very grateful to have been part of such a killer project, alongside so many incredible musicians. Do yourself a favour and give this record a spin"

SYLVAINE is supporting the release of her brand new fourth studio album, 'Nova,' which is out NOW! Stream/download/order HERE.

In addition, SYLVAINE will be embarking on her first ever North American tour this spring in support of AMORPHIS, along with UADA and HOAXED! SYLVAINE will join the tour on April 18 in Millvale, PA and will cross the country before circling back to the East Coast where the trek will conclude in Baltimore, MD on May 12. The full run of dates can be found below! Tickets are on sale now at THIS LOCATION.

SYLVAINE North American Tour (w/ AMORPHIS, UADA, + HOAXED):
04/18: Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre [TICKETS]
04/19: Joliet, IL @ The Forge [TICKETS]
04/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre [TICKETS]
04/22: Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater [TICKETS]
04/23: Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell [TICKETS]
04/25: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre [TICKETS]
04/26: Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial [TICKETS]
04/27: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon [TICKETS]
04/29: San Francisco, CA @ The UC Theatre [TICKETS]
04/30: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre [TICKETS]
05/01: Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater [TICKETS]
05/03: Austin, TX @ Come and Take it Live [TICKETS]
05/04: Dallas, TX @ Amplified Theater [TICKETS]
05/06: Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage (The Loft) [TICKETS]
05/07: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum [TICKETS]
05/08: Orlando, FL @ The Abbey [TICKETS]
05/10: Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre [TICKETS]
05/11: Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry [TICKETS]
05/12: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage [TICKETS]

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Announces Two-Hour Guest DJ Special via Gimme Radio

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE will be releasing her fourth studio album, 'Nova,' this Friday, March 4! To celebrate the release of the record, SYLVAINE will be hosting a two-hour guest DJ special on Friday at 3:00 P.M. EST // 21:00 CET, in which she picked an eclectic playlist and will be present in the live chat to talk to fans! As usual, it is totally free to sign up and listen - download the Gimme Metal app or visit GimmeMetal.com.

In addition, SYLVAINE will be embarking on her first ever North American tour this spring in support of AMORPHIS, along with UADA and HOAXED! SYLVAINE will join the tour on April 18 in Millvale, PA and will cross the country before circling back to the East Coast where the trek will conclude in Baltimore, MD on May 12. The full run of dates can be found below! Tickets are on sale now at THIS LOCATION.

The song and album are available for pre-saving on all other digital platformsHERE while the record is available for pre-ordersHERE.

SYLVAINE North American Tour (w/ AMORPHIS, UADA, + HOAXED):
04/18: Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre [TICKETS]
04/19: Joliet, IL @ The Forge [TICKETS]
04/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre [TICKETS]
04/22: Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater [TICKETS]
04/23: Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell [TICKETS]
04/25: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre [TICKETS]
04/26: Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial [TICKETS]
04/27: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon [TICKETS]
04/29: San Francisco, CA @ The UC Theatre [TICKETS]
04/30: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre [TICKETS]
05/01: Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater [TICKETS]
05/03: Austin, TX @ Come and Take it Live [TICKETS]
05/04: Dallas, TX @ Amplified Theater [TICKETS]
05/06: Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage (The Loft) [TICKETS]
05/07: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum [TICKETS]
05/08: Orlando, FL @ The Abbey [TICKETS]
05/10: Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre [TICKETS]
05/11: Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry [TICKETS]
05/12: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage [TICKETS]

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Streams New Album 'Nova' Ahead of Release

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE will be releasing her fourth studio album, 'Nova,' this Friday, March 4! The singer/songwriter is now streaming 'Nova' in its entirety ahead of its release! Listen to the album HERE.
In addition, SYLVAINE will be embarking on her first ever North American tour this spring in support of AMORPHIS! SYLVAINE will join the tour on April 18 in Millvale, PA and will cross the country before circling back to the East Coast where the trek will conclude in Baltimore, MD on May 12. The full run of dates can be found below! Tickets are on sale now at THIS LOCATION.

The song and album are available for pre-saving on all other digital platformsHERE while the record is available for pre-ordersHERE.

SYLVAINE North American Tour (w/ AMORPHIS + HOAXED):
04/18: Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
04/19: Joliet, IL @ The Forge
04/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre
04/22: Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater
04/23: Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
04/25: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
04/26: Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial
04/27: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
04/29: San Francisco, CA @ The UC Theatre
04/30: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
05/01: Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater
05/03: Austin, TX @ Come and Take it Live
05/04: Dallas, TX @ Amplified Theater
05/06: Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage (The Loft)
05/07: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
05/08: Orlando, FL @ The Abbey
05/10: Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
05/11: Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
05/12: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Announces First Ever North American Tour

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE will be embarking on her first ever North American tour this spring in support of AMORPHIS! SYLVAINE will join the tour on April 18 in Millvale, PA and will cross the country before circling back to the East Coast where the trek will conclude in Baltimore, MD on May 12. The full run of dates can be found below! Tickets will be on sale starting this Friday, January 15 @ 10:00 A.M. local time.

Speaking of this incredible tour, SYLVAINE comments, "We can't even begin to tell you how excited and honored we are to announce our very first North American shows as a part of the Halo tour, together with the great Amorphis and Hoaxed! We've countless times been asked when we'll be playing in North America, so it's with extreme joy we share that 2022 is the year we finally make it happen! We can't wait to come play 'Nova' for you all. April can't come soon enough!"


SYLVAINEis touring in support of her upcoming full-length, 'Nova,' which is due on March 4! Listen to the brand new song, "Mono No Aware," which just dropped yesterday, below.

The album is available for pre-saving on all other digital platformsHERE while the record is available for pre-ordersHERE.

SYLVAINE North American Tour (w/ AMORPHIS + HOAXED):
04/18: Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
04/19: Joliet, IL @ The Forge
04/20: Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre
04/22: Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater
04/23: Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
04/25: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
04/26: Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial
04/27: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
04/29: San Francisco, CA @ The UC Theatre
04/30: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
05/01: Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater
05/03: Austin, TX @ Come and Take it Live
05/04: Dallas, TX @ Amplified Theater
05/06: Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage (The Loft)
05/07: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
05/08: Orlando, FL @ The Abbey
05/10: Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
05/11: Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
05/12: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage

SYLVAINE is furthermore unveiling the artwork for 'Nova', which can be viewed together with the album details below.

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Premieres New Song "Mono No Aware"

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE will be releasing her fourth studio album, 'Nova,' on March 4, 2021! The singer/songwriter has teamed up with Metal Injection to premiere her devastating new single, "Mono No Aware." The song can be found along with a visualizer below.

SYLVAINE comments on the track: "The moment when you appreciate the beauty of our human existence and what lies within it being completely transient, yet feeling overcome by sadness for the exact same reason, that is 'Mono No Aware.' Every Sylvaine record holds one song title that can't be directly translated into English, and this time I felt the melancholy and depth of the Japanese saying 'mono no aware' fit perfectly with the emotions that went into creating this record. Existing somewhere between nostalgia, a yearning for things lost and past times and a respect for the ephemeral nature of things, 'Mono No Aware' basically deals with how hard it is to accept that the only constant in our existence is change. Being one of the heaviest tracks I wrote to date, 'Mono No Aware' is filled with intensity in every way, pushing the borders of light and dark even further. This song also holds some of my favorite lyrics of the album; 'You need to fade away, so I can truly see you. Show me the meaning of being alive - Fading, I see you now.'"


The song and album are available for pre-saving on all other digital platformsHERE while the record is available for pre-ordersHERE.

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Reveals New Album Details, Shares New Song + Music Video

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE will be releasing her fourth studio album, 'Nova,' on March 4, 2021! The musician is now releasing the first single, "Nowhere, Still Somewhere," which is accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful music video. The clip, which was directed by Linnea Syversen, can be found below.

SYLVAINE comments on the track and video: "'Nowhere, Still Somewhere' was one of the last songs I wrote for 'Nova,' and expresses the feeling of losing control, being unable to hold on to things or to move forward, despite how many efforts are made. Being a very personal song, on a very personal record, I knew the video for this song would be an intimate one, making the choice of director key. From the moment I meet Linnea Syversen, I knew she would be the perfect person to create such a special project with. Besides the help of Grayscale, who shot some amazing drone footage for us, and Hogan Mclaughlin, who lent us one of his wonderful garments, this video was created solely by Linnea and I, letting us go into this creative bubble together and spend hour upon hour shooting clips to underlie the emotional quality that 'Nowhere, Still Somewhere' holds. The video is fragile and strong all at once, abstract, yet touching and visually showcases the duality that is forever present in my music."

Video Director Linnea Syversen adds: "To work with Kathrine Shepard/Sylvaine has been very inspiring and exciting. 'Nowhere, Still Somewhere' is touching and strong at the same time and I instantly had images popping up into my mind while listening to the song for the first time. We had some real challenging shooting days, some of which were also really cold, but Kathrine was amazingly dedicated and resilient. After this collaboration, I’m left with a lot of good memories and feel so excited to show this one off to the world.”

Video Credits:
Video by Linnea Syversen
Drone Operator - Grayscale
Dress - Hogan Mclaughlin
Additional editing - Guilherme Henriques


The song and album are available for pre-saving on all other digital platformsHERE while the record is available for pre-ordersHERE.

To speak to Sylvaine, the one-woman multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and composer born Kathrine Shepard, is to speak to some spirit that exists beyond the veil of convention and stereotypes. This is not a woman playing to the vogue dark melodic folklorist trope that has become so prevalent in the metal scene but rather, this is a woman who is a serious and classically trained composer and arranger whose songs, that originate on unplugged electric guitars in lavender and black bedrooms, end up exploding against the unlimited conventions of what modern music can accomplish. 

For some time, Kathrine Shepard has been seen as the petite pixie of the Norwegian black gaze scene but her small eleven features and lightheartedness belie the woman warrior behind Nova, her complex and personal fourth release. Following her 2018 Atoms Aligned Coming Undone release, Sylvaine (a play on the name of one of her beloved French poets, Paul Verlaine) gives us Nova, an album that is both a musical and personal reawakening of a singer/composer finding her way in this world.  

The Lord of the Rings type choir arrangement heralds in the opening of her latest release as we the entranced listeners follow her to the realm of Lothlorien. The creation of this ambitious release began in 2019, before the world changed before all of our eyes. Experiencing a personal loss in a time the world was suffering a collective loss, Sylvaine composed on her guitar and wrote in her notebooks, eventually leading her into the small rooms of Drudenhaus in early 2021. Sequestered away in the countryside of France, the Norwegian native and her musical cohorts would all contract Covid. Asthmatic since birth, our heroine isolated herself in a small room to score out the different soprano and alto melodies of an actual choir to make her vision for the opening track “Nova,” come to life. Sung in an imagined language, the syllables of NO-VA continued to emerge, suggesting to the singer something linguistically symbolic and important. 

“I’ve been wanting to write a choir piece since my 'Wistful' days,” she says, “Just a purely vocal piece. I love harmonies and the most personal instrument you have is yourself, your voice. I wanted to really show who I am this time around.” 

Naked on the cover, which may raise some eyebrows, Sylvaine insists to her fans that this is a symbol of her own vulnerability and personal rebirth that transpired over these years of creating Nova. “Nova" in terms of language is connected to words such as nuova (Italian) or nueva (Spanish), meaning ‘new’ and speaks to a rebirth, to loss, the temporality of life, grieving as nothing lasting forever, but looking forward as new doors are forever opening.  

Album tracks “Mono No Aware” and “Fortapt” are compositions in the 10-minute range, showing the progressive skills of the multi-instrumentalist’s musical mastery and magic. Taking the loud and quiet back-and-forth of the ‘90s a step farther, she manages to haunt every note with primal sincerity. “Fortapt” is a particularly unique track, paying homage to Sylvaine’s Norwegian roots. And while critics may want to pin a song like “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” in the shoegaze or dreampop category, her mysterious resonance adds something to the composition that makes Sylvaine’s work defy categorization.  

Much like Joan of Arc, Sylvaine is not a one-woman army without her legionaries. Instead of enlisting members of the folk metal glitterati, she has been a bit more selective about her surprise guests on her album, choosing Scottish violinist Lambert Segura of SAOR and cellist Nostarion aka Patrik Urban, whom she met while performing a very special acoustic show in Belgium in 2019. For Sylvaine, it felt emotionally appropriate to weave classically trained instrumentalists into her work, demonstrated on the last track on the album, "Everything Must Come to an End." 

Unlike so many of the pixie dream girls haunting the American metal landscape right now, Sylvaine sings but also screams from the very depths. There is absolutely no one in the metal game right now who can match her vocal range, which traverses from the elvish sounds of Enya and Lisa Gerard to the black metal Ericthro screeches of her kvlt counterparts of the land of ice and snow. 

In the U.S., we have a tendency to clarify bedroom pop as music that is composed in the feminine space of one’s bedroom confines. Although orchestral and incredibly composed, Sylvaine does not shy away from admitting her songs always start bare bones—almost all of her compositions begin with an unplugged electric guitar. “A melody and a chord progression should be able to stand on its own without any effects whatsoever. The song will go on to manifest itself in different ways but that main guitar part has to be solid enough to emotionally work just by itself, “ she says.  

But to this lover of Verlaine and the French Romantic poets (as well as a diehard Type O Negative fan), the written word is still paramount to her heart. After all, she explains, “Music is an attempt to avoid the words we can’t always express in life.” 

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/sylvainemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sylvainemusic/
https://sylvainemusic.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/sylvainemusic/
https://soundcloud.com/sylvainemusic
https://twitter.com/sylvainemusic
https://www.sylvainemusic.com/

Recording Lineup:
Sylvaine – vocals/guitars/bass/synths/arrangements
Dorian Mansiaux – session drums

Current Lineup:
Sylvaine

Live line-up:
Sylvaine - Main vocals/guitar
Dorian Mansiaux - Drums
Florian Ehrenberg - Guitar/backing vocals
Maxime Mouquet - Bass/background vocals

Guest Musicians:
- Lambert Segura (SAOR) - violins on “Everything Must Come To An End”
- Patrick Urban - cellos on “Everything Must Come To An End”

Recording Studio: Drudenhaus Studio, Issé, France

Producer, mixer, sound engineer: Benoît Roux

Mastering Studio + engineer: Karl Daniel Lidén at Karl Daniel Lidén Productions

Cover Art: Photo by Andy Julia, post-production/digital illustration by Daria Endrese

Biography: Veronika Lee

Pre-sales: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/SylvaineNova

Album formats:
CD Digipak
Digital
Vinyl in various colours

SYLVAINE Enters Studio to Record Fourth Full-Length

Scandinavian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE has entered the studio to record the follow up full-length to 2018's Norwegian Grammy nominated 'Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone!' The album will be released early 2022 by Season of Mist.

SYLVAINE comments: "You could definitely say that the creation of this 4th Sylvaine album has taken an unconventional path in many ways. After the realization of 'Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone,' I knew that making the next record was going to take a lot out of me. Little did I know just how much though, with 2020 bringing forth some of the most challenging times I have experienced so far in my life. It took me a while to gather everything and channel it into songs that would express all of these emotions I had been carrying around with me for some time.

"One thing was completely certain from the beginning of the process; Benoît Roux at Drudenhaus was going to be the person I brought the record to life with. It’s so important to work with people who just get what you are trying to communicate with your art, even without having to say a single word. That for me is Benoît. He just understands. Not to mention the human side, which is fantastic as well, something that becomes extremely important when spending so much time together for 2 months straight! I almost felt like a part of his family by the end, haha.

"The recording process was heavily prolonged compared to what we initially planned. Between the travel restrictions, everyone contracting Covid during the first weeks of the recording process and personal circumstances related to Benoît, we were forced to extend our time spent recording this album. If it wasn’t one obstacle making things complicated, there was another one just around the corner, waiting for us, haha.... But that didn’t faze me to be honest. I was just so grateful to finally be back in the studio, doing what I love the most once again. We spent just over 2 months in the end, recording and starting the mixing for this fourth album. It was an incredibly intense time, even more so being completely on my own for most of it. My drummer for the album, Dorian Mansiaux, also my on-stage drummer, was with me for the first days of the session, laying down his parts. I also have two guests on the album, that I’ll be revealing later on. I feel privileged to have all of these talented people involved with this record, making it even more special to me. Can’t tell you how excited I am to share this album with everyone – I put every piece of my soul into it. "

Last year, SYLVAINE was nominated for a Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Award, for the 2018 full-length 'Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone.' SYLVAINE is the very first woman ever to be nominated in the Metal category of the award since the Spellemannprisen's inception in 1972.

'Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone' can be streamed, downloaded, and ordered HERE.

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A strong duality between worlds. A balance between the beautiful and the harsh, serenity and chaos, between an outside and an inner world, between our human life and the spiritual origins.

Norwegian multi-instrumentalist SYLVAINE deals with the extreme range of emotions this human existence has to offer, as a result of being in constant conflict with oneself and struggling to adapt to this place we call our own. The project serves as an emotional catharsis for the artist, revealing the eternal longing for something more residing within its melodies, capturing the feeling of being trapped and restraint by the human form.

After a year of playing selected, successful concerts around Europe together with her live band, like the European tour with Austrian post-metal outfit HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY and a headlining tour in Russia/Ukraine tour, SYLVAINE once again entered the renown Drudenhaus Studio in France during autumn 2017 to start the recording of her new creation, "Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone". Together with recording and mixing engineer Benoît Roux and her two session musicians, Stephen Shepard and Stéphane “Neige” Paut (ALCEST), SYLVAINE pushes the duality between beautiful and extreme even further on her third album, bringing the concept behind the project to new heights. The album mastered by Jack Shirley (DEAFHEAVEN, OATHBREAKER) at Atomic Garden in San Francisco (US).

Still serving as the sole composer of both music and lyrics, producer and musician of most instruments herself, SYLVAINE takes the sound of her sophomore album "Wistful" (2016) and develops it into a more mature and contrasted form on "Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone", all while trying to communicate the essence of her project, which remains the same as always before.

Now enter the cold and icy world of "Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone", and let yourself be enveloped by its pressing despair.

Line-up
Sylvaine: vocals, guitars, synthesizers, bass, drums, percussion

Recording Line-up
Sylvaine: vocals, guitars, synthesizers, bass, drums, percussion
Stephen Shepard: session drums on tracks 3 & 5
Stéphane "Neige" Paut: session drums on tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6

Recording: Benoît Roux, Drudenhaus Studio (France)
Producer/Sound engineer: Sylvaine, Benoît Roux and Stéphane "Neige" Paut
Mix: Benoît Roux, Drudenhaus Studio
Mastering: Jack Shirley, The Atomic Garden (USA)

Cover art: Førtifem (www.fortifem.fr)

Shop: http://smarturl.it/SylvaineAtoms

Download/stream: https://som.lnk.to/SylvaineAACU

Available formats
Digipak CD
Vinyl LP

For more on SYLVAINE, visit the official FACEBOOK, WEBSITE, INSTAGRAM, and BANDCAMP.