Secret Promo: Hilma Nikolaisen - Merrily Merrily (Don't Share!)

BASIC INFO Recorded at Taakeheimen Lydrike by Morten Øby, November 2017

Text/ melody: Hilma Nikolaisen

Kristofer Staxrud: Drums

Hilma Nikolaisen: gitarer/bass/vokaler/perkusjon ISRC: NOFYF1715010 Publisher: Fysisk Format 

Hilma Nikolaisen released her debut album in late 2016 to great reception and reviews, and was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannpris). Now she's back with a brand new Christmas song! About the song: - This song was written recently. It came together pretty quickly, in a euphoric state over how life can sometimes take a turn that's exclusively for the better. The song expresses a wish to collect and sustain this euphoria into something lasting, no matter how cumbersome life's path can seem at times. Some moments are for savouring what's good and right, and Christmastime can potentially be just that. The joy in «Merrily Merrily» originated from a move, both geographic and mental, from the claustrophobic trappings of the inner city and out to the woods, to a new place overlooking Oslo from afar. The calm and serene appreciation of the small and intimate life, so to speak. It's been refreshing to write and record this mellow song while simultaneously working on the next record, which is sharper and edgier than the debut, simply put more punk rock. The complementary opposites and temperatures of our existence. About the recording process: - The song was recorded at Taakeheimen, with Morten Øby as technician. I know Øby from way back but we've never worked together before. Morten is a great guy; technically skilled, musically intuitive and an all-around good human being. As it looks now, most of the next record will be recorded at Taakeheimen, In fact, we've already begun. To record a song for Christmas proved to be an excellent way to test a new studio before starting on the next long player.

“As the bass player in Serena-Maneesh, Nikolaisen is not stranger to walls of dreamy distortion and layered drone, but her solo debut follows a more easy-swinging melodic path, strewn with hooks.” –Uncut “Hermitage takes a traditional indie-pop formula and twists it around to push forward Nikolaisen’s ideas about human nature. The result is a guitar riff that’s somehow loose but rigid, intriguing lyrics and a few surprising flourishes just waiting to be discovered.” – God Is In The TV “Rich and layered like the best dreams, but also disorientating and intruingly just out of reach. This album is a dreamy psych pop thing of beauty.” – The Underground Of Happiness ” ‘Hermitage’, the opening track of this solo debut, is a wondrous thing, a sublime slice of expansive guitar pop, punched along by her stalking bassline” – The Independent “An intriguing and accomplished debut” –Narc magazine “This overdue solo debut finds her with a firm grasp of noise rock dynamics, as you might expect, but also allows her the opportunity to explore her own strain of lysergic dream pop.” –Prog “With vast influences, from the irresistible elements of 60s pop, to the resurgent force of psychedelia of late, it’s clear that Nikolaisen is searching for a fine balance between vintage and trent-setter.” –Get Into This Foto: Monica Nilsen hires here