Having met at school in Sandvika, Norway, Sigrid Zeiner-Gundersen and Carl Frederik Kontny formed Circumnavigate after meeting Ross Craib and Charlie Fowler when they moved to London. Since then, they’ve shared stages with the likes of Adam Lambert, Gabrielle Aplin, Maverick Sabre and Crystal Fighters, and now have recently released their enchanting debut album.
Combining an eclectic range of influences, When Worlds Collide is a collection of intimate reflections on life, love and building communities with each other. As album opener ‘Dreamer’ introduces us to Sigrid’s rich, soulful vocals and the sweeping emotive power that is to continue throughout, it is indeed as dreamy as the name would suggest.
Continuing with a hazy, ethereal aura, tracks such as ‘Under Water and ‘Space in Between’ ooze a captivating sense of grandeur as layers of instrumentation reveal Circumnavigate’s sophisticated musicality.
As a sweeping romanticism and and folk-inspired charm continues throughout, album highlight ‘Secret’ stands out as truly stirring; offering a heart-rending, emotion-strewn lyricism alongside twinkling harmonies, its honest sensitivity and beautiful grace will send shivers down the spine on first listen.
As the album continues, each captivating, cinematic soundscape offers something unique – from the classical instrumentation and contrasting pulsating beats of pop-ballad ‘Lifelines’ to the traditional folk and sweeping romanticism of the likes of ‘Another 20 Seconds’ and ‘Back In The Day’, each track fuses together a different variety of sounds. However, one constant for the entirety of When Worlds Collide is the impressive, powerful range of Sigrid’s spellbinding vocals – they remain consistent throughout, as they interweave between the album’s innovative layers of sound.
A compelling debut from a band who we cannot wait to hear more from in 2018.