An experimental chamber folk act from Copenhagen, Denmark, Homesickness are new to our blog through their second album, Anamnesis.

By Graeme Smith

As the album commences, we are drawn in by the delicate, minimal instrumental Urdr before we get our first taste of the soft, understated vocals in Do You See How the Smoke Billows. We get a strong sense of atmosphere, expertly crafted with as few elements as possible.

As things progress, instrumental interludes take turns with lingering vocal numbers. Each composition proves rich with narrative. Roses by the Creek is a highlight thanks to its sudden, dramatic bursts of energy after such a quiet first half of the album. When Current Turns, too, is a beautifully dynamic moment, led by plucked acoustic guitar.

Title track Anamnesis is beautifully meditative, soaring in its instrumental and full of imagery in its lyrics. As it reaches its conclusion, we get a stirring wave of percussion. I Thanks Thee Whom I Found in the Hills closes the album in rousing style.

The album was influenced as much by the time and place of its recording as the tracks’ compositions. Anamnesis was recorded on the estate of the late artist Anette Holdensen during the Harvest Moon of 2023. Homesickness’s lead singer and lyricist Malthe Junge felt this context gave the album “a sense of cyclical renewal and harvest, aligning it with the natural rhythms of life.”

There certainly sees to be something spiritual about the whole record. It touches of things beyond the veil, that are unknowable. It is an album that will transport you, and demands multiple listens.

Anamnesis is out now via Pink Cotton Candy, available to buy as a digital album or on vinyl on Bandcamp. You can give it a listen below.