1816 // We Will Survive This

We Will Survive This, continues their exploration of a vibrant musical landscape where vulnerability, resilience and modest hope are in focus. The album is a coherent whole, where the sound, lyrics and dynamics are as important in conveying meaning as are the melody and form.  

The name 1816 refers to ‘the year without summer‘, a volatile time in history dominated by climatic and social upheaval. This reference functions as the thematic backdrop for the album’s exploration of uncertainty, deprivation and survival in times where the world as we know it appears to be dissolving. The music is not an attempt to comment directly on contemporary events; rather it reflects experiences that we recognises in our own time.  

The band’s style fluctuating between chamber music, jazz and alternative pop, resonates with the clear contrasts between darkness and light, where silence and more expressive sections together build a high inner intensity. Vocals and double bass form expressive counterpoints, while cello and drums function as elastic and responsive connectors. The instrumentation varies from the completely bare and acoustic to denser sections, creating dynamic spans and open forms.  

“For me this album is about acknowledging limitations without surrendering. There’s something fundamentally human in accepting that you cannot control everything – but still insisting on standing tall in life,” says Audun Ellingsen, who has written most of the songs.  

The lyrics in We Will Survive This often have a dark but not hopeless tone. They revolve around emptiness and superfluity in modern life, around the feeling of being in a vacuum where anything is possible and the existential consequences this feeling can have. The language shifts between the personal and the vernacular, with references ranging from the Romantic poets, such as Lord Byron, to more down-to-earth narrative traditionalists such as Dolly Parton.  

1816 is a collaboration of lyricists, the vocalist Wenche Losnegård and double bass player Audun Ellingsen - together with the British cello player Gregor Riddell and drummer Erik Nylander. The band members have extensive experience of jazz, pop and improvised music, which is reflected in the album’s open yet collectively oriented direction.  

The album also features contributions from guest musicians, adding tonal perspectives and widening the mode of expression without breaking with the distinctive style of its predecessor, the eponymously titled 1816, released to critical acclaim in 2018. We Will Survive This continues and digs deeper into the band’s artistic vision.