Album Review: Floating Sofa Quartet, "Kystnaert"

One of my favorite groups in the Nordic folk scene today is finally back, joined by the wonderful Norwegian hardanger fiddler Gura Kvifte Neisheim for the new maritime record "Kystnaert"

This has been my most anticipated album of the summer, and for good reason. I fell deeply in love with this group back in 2016 with their incredible "The Moon We Watch Is the Same" due to the fresh, exciting, and organic nature of their sound and original instrumentation which continued through "Neighbourhood" and "Sofa Songs".

Kystnaert has delivered in every way, and I really hope you all give this album a spin to experience the many things to love about the Floating Sofa Quartet.

"Revived coastal music from Norway, Sweden, Denmark & Finland.
For almost a decade Floating Sofa Quartet (FSQ) has been working across borders with their own take on Nordic folk music – shedding light on the shared cultural heritage of the Nordic countries and creating music that is both preserving and renewing their tradition(s).

Now FSQ joins forces with the renowned Norwegian fiddler Guro Kvifte Nesheim to take a plunge into the kindred musical traditions of the coastal regions of Norway, Sweden, Denmark & Finland!

Commissioned by the Farsund Folk Festival the project Kystnært (near the coast) is centered around the regional folk music of Agder in sourthern Norway – a tradition that has a clear kinship to the music of its neighbouring countries. With Agder as a starting point Kystnært explores the similarities between an assortment of musical bits and pieces from the Nordic coastal regions, fusing them all into a vivid contemporary concert experience."