Walking through the dream world has oft been the subject matter of artists. Multiple musicians have drawn inspiration from what haunts them as they rest, and you can add many others who have taken their cues from such terrain. Think Carroll, Dali, Lynch. For Scandinavians Kalandra, whose music straddles multiple genres, dream journalling became the basis for their inspiration for The Other Side.
Kalandra – The Other Side
Release Date: 13 November 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
“It’s been very helpful to write down my dreams,” says singer Katrine Ødegård Stenbekk. “It definitely affected how I wrote lyrics. I would love to do this again, have some sort of loose concept, it brings the record together.”
15 years since their formation, The Other Side may just be the crowning glory in Kalandra’s musical career to date. It is an album that is enchanting, captivating, pulling you into the most ethereal soundscapes that envelope you in a mist of sonic magnificence. There is plenty of otherworldly soundings, never cluttered yet always interesting.
The inclusion of Elinborg, the Faroese singer-songwriter on Animal, provokes a powerful response. “Kalandra have long joked about our inability to write an upbeat song,” says Katrine, “so at 136 BPM, this one finally proves that we’re capable of it.”
Shorn of much of their self-described “clutter”, Kalandra admit that this is an album where “less is more”. Yet that does not make The Other Side any less than previous releases. In The Shadows is gentle, delicate, but beautifully complexly crafted, spellbinding in its delivery, with Katrine reminding us just what a voice she has.
There is an element of many an influence included here, yet nothing that overpowers the band’s definitive sound. Melancholic, introspective, yet also uplifting and empowering. There is ample to appreciate.
Animal shows the band’s tougher side, a more upbeat rocker, with some heavy guitar courtesy of Jogeir Daae Mæland and Florian Bernhard Döderlein Winter providing excellent backing to Elinborg’s superb contribution.
Elsewhere, the organic sound of the band flows. Central pillar is the haunting A Ship Has Left The Shore, a pensive ballad which sees Katrine’s vocal work with a solo piano melody. “It’s about losing someone dear to you,” reveals Katrine. “There is a quietness to the way it carries its grief, leaving space for the emotions to reveal themselves rather than presenting everything at once.”
Underneath the emotional and otherworldly spell that Kalandra weave sits a raw and intensely personal narrative. This can manifest itself in negative ways on social media, but you must draw beauty from songs such as the closing Melanchoholic which winds its way to the end.
Freedom of expression combined with roots in woodland soil, wide reference points and inspiration on a vast scale. The Other Side is magnificent. It deserves to be heard.
Kalandra released The Other Side on 13 November 2026 via By Norse Music. It is available on black vinyl, limited edition coloured vinyl, digibook and all digital platforms. For more details, visit ByNorseStore.com.
