We Speak Music

MIIA Drops Stunning New Album ‘Huldra’

Published

1 month ago

August 11, 2026

After years of establishing herself as one of Norway’s most distinctive voices in alternative pop, MIIA arrives with a debut album that confidently delivers on its promise. Huldra is a beautifully crafted collection of thirteen songs that combines cinematic production with heartfelt songwriting, creating an immersive listening experience from beginning to end.

Drawing inspiration from Scandinavian folklore, MIIA uses the legend of the huldra as a metaphor for embracing every side of ourselves. Themes of heartbreak, healing, empowerment, and self-acceptance flow naturally throughout the record, giving the album a sense of purpose that extends beyond individual singles. Tracks like “Necessary Evil,” “Delicious,” and “Blood Moon” demonstrate her ability to balance vulnerability with confidence while maintaining a clear artistic vision.

Produced by Benjamin Dan Ravn Fahre and Joachim JR Rygg, the album blends pop, indie pop, dream pop, electronic pop, and darker atmospheric elements into a polished yet emotionally rich sound. MIIA’s vocals remain the undeniable centrepiece, floating effortlessly across textured arrangements that feel equally suited to intimate headphones listening and larger cinematic moments.

One of Huldra‘s biggest achievements is its consistency. Every track contributes to the emotional narrative without feeling repetitive, and the sequencing allows the album to unfold like a complete story. Closing with “Huldrarave,” MIIA leaves listeners with a message of forgiveness and renewal that feels genuinely earned after everything that comes before it.

Huldra is more than an impressive debut. It is the work of an artist who understands exactly who she is and what she wants to communicate. Rich in atmosphere, emotionally authentic, and thoughtfully constructed, the album marks an exciting new chapter for MIIA while confirming that her strongest work is still ahead of her.

“I’ve been fascinated by huldra for as long as I can remember. I’ve always felt connected to her, but I was also afraid of her. As I grew older, I understood why. Huldra was feared because she couldn’t be controlled, and because she had power. For years, I was afraid of my own power too. I wanted to be good, to be perfect, but perfection doesn’t exist. I hope this album inspires people to accept themselves completely, flaws and all. To allow themselves to fail, to explore creativity and sexuality without shame, and to embrace vulnerability, rage, softness, and strength as natural parts of being human. This is a journey toward self-love, freedom, and the death of shame.”

Find MIIA: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, Website

We Speak Music

Phoebe June Traces Love, Distance and Heartbreak on New EP ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’

Published

2 days ago

September 11, 2026

Joni Jones

For Phoebe June, some stories are easier to tell through music.

Her new EP, ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’, is an intimate collection that traces the emotional journey of a relationship from the exhilaration of falling in love to distance, uncertainty, heartbreak and, ultimately, learning to let go.

Inspired by artists including Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe June combines diary-like lyricism with melancholic ballads, subtle uptempo moments and an understated, emotionally honest production style.

At the centre of the project is ‘Thursday’, a bittersweet track about loving someone from a distance and holding onto the hope that the connection might survive.

Written after Phoebe left a country that held deep personal meaning, and left someone she cared about behind, the song looks back at the relationship from its beginning. Even its title is personal: the two first met on a Thursday.

The song captures the complicated feeling of walking away from something meaningful without believing that it necessarily has to be over. It’s about distance, memory and the possibility of finding your way back to someone, while recognising that hope only works when it goes both ways.

Across six tracks, the EP develops that story in sequence.

‘Everything You Are’ opens the project with the warmth of new love, while ‘Dead Sea’ explores the security of finding someone who helps you stay afloat through difficult times. As the story progresses, ‘Thursday’ introduces separation before ‘Getaway Car’ moves into the aftermath; unanswered questions, lingering attachment and the realisation that someone can profoundly affect your life while still being unhealthy for you.

‘One Day’ leaves the door open to the possibility of a future reunion, balancing hope with the understanding that some relationships may only exist in memory.

The EP closes with ‘Ophelia’, its emotional breaking point. Inspired in part by Friedrich Heyser’s painting of the same name, the track confronts the pain of feeling manipulated and unappreciated after giving everything to someone else.

The result is a project that deliberately moves from light to dark. Phoebe June considered not only the narrative but the emotional progression when sequencing the EP, allowing the brightness of its opening to gradually give way to the heartbreak of its closing moments.

Even the title reflects that feeling.

‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ takes its name from a flower, with the image of a gate separating two people becoming a metaphor for a love that remains beautiful but just out of reach. To reach over it requires effort, just as maintaining a connection across distance, uncertainty and changing circumstances does.

Ultimately, Phoebe June isn’t interested in simply documenting her own heartbreak.

She wants listeners to recognise themselves in it.

‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ is a collection about love, nostalgia, hope and regret and about what remains when something beautiful ends up on the other side of the gate.