Peter Hägerstrand shares new EP

Helsinki-based Peter Hägerstrand has spent much of his life exploring the many ways music can communicate, moving between songwriting, composition, performance and work for theatre and film. Across a career that’s included touring and releasing albums under his own name, as well as playing with bands such as Gycklarnas Afton, Jupiter Park and Good Evening Manchester, he’s developed a musical output unlike any other. His work has taken him onto stages alongside Nirvana, into productions for several Nordic national theatres and towards film composition, including the score for Lärjungen, Finland’s Oscar entry in 2014.

Recognised for his contribution to music, he received the Sally Salminen Prize in 2017 and was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2021. The impulse behind all that activity however can be traced back to a surprisingly simple childhood experience; Peter’s earliest musical memory involves the television series High Chaparral, which he loved as a young child. Hearing someone play its theme on a piano though changed the way he understood his attachment to it as without the television or images to accompany the melody, he found himself responding to the music itself.

It wasn’t the series that had captured his imagination but the tune, the chords and the feeling they created and as such, the experience revealed something intangible about music and its ability to exist beyond any particular recording or visual context. That moment stayed with him and tears later, he began thinking more deeply about what actually makes a song a song, taking up the guitar and working towards creating something capable of producing that same inexplicable feeling. It’s an idea that seems to have followed him through the different stages of his career, whether composing for the screen, writing for the theatre or exploring the possibilities of a band.

His latest project, Sjögräs, brings that experience into a more concentrated form, representing a distillation of the many musical disciplines Peter has explored over the years. By not adding more layers, he has chosen to strip away anything that doesn’t need to be there, retaining the essentials and placing his own musical language at the centre. It’s a highly personal body of work, with melodies providing its setting and lyrics playing out like short stories, often coloured by dreamlike elements. The inspiration for Sjögräs comes from photographs found in old family albums, with the stories extending across several generations, giving the project a sense of personal history, allowing individual memories and imagined details to sit alongside one another.

The project is taking shape across three EPs, with Sjögräs, Vol. 1 opening the new chapter last year, followed by Sjögräs, Vol. 2 in May. Now, the five-track Sjögräs, Vol. 3 completes the trilogy’s recorded sequence, bringing together several of the most personal compositions Peter has ever penned. The new material will also form the cornerstones of a multimedia performance titled Sjögräs, premiering on the 23rd of January next year. The arrangements carry something of a film-score aesthetic, reflecting his extensive experience composing for visual storytelling, while his lifelong dedication to rock continues to shape the music’s attitude.

His own contributions include vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion and programming, joined by Ella Grüssner Cromwell-Morgan on vocals, Pia Manns on violin and viola, and Sarah Devoyon on cello. Opened by “Ensam,” the soft rustle of percussion and bright plucks of acoustic guitar are met by hushed, moody vocals spinning subtly haunting melodies above the alternative folk backdrop. Developing with the warmth of the string section and alluring tones of Ella’s voice, the pair engage in a balletic dance through voice, offering an engrossing musical moment that’s mesmeric and blissfully melodic.

“Att simma” follows with soft vocal lines and the elegant flutter of acoustic guitar notes before the arrangement flows with breezy string flutters and the laid back patter of drums. The lilting rhythmic sway swells with lightly gritty guitar tones, offering an engaging sense of ebb and flow throughout the song while the interplay between Ella and Peter’s vocals delivers another enticing element. “Kvinna” pairs delicate guitar and soft vocals before progressing with layered vocals, graceful strings and shuffling percussion to present a stunning showcase of Peter’s songwriting flair and performance talent.

“Hår” forms with the dreamy swirl of airy instrumental tones and chiming bell tolls as Peter’s expressive vocals lead the shifting arrangement a series of twists and turns. Closing the EP with “Vatten vatten,” the bounce of sweeping strings and clapped rhythms ushers in playful vocal delivery to present a charming finale to the release. With Sjögräs, Peter Hägerstrand brings together the different strands of a long musical journey, returning to the essential elements that first inspired him to make music. It’s a project based in memory, melody and storytelling, while also looking towards new ways of presenting those ideas and from a childhood fascination with a piano melody to a multi-layered stage performance, the question of what makes a song resonate remains at the heart of his work.