Much of 2025 was spent working on Movements I.
Recording began in mid-February and was followed by months of editing, mixing, releasing singles, and gradually getting the music into shape for live performance. This short review reflects on that process and looks briefly ahead, as work on Movements II slowly begins to surface.

“What kind of music do you play?”
It’s a common question we often get as musicians. And one that we still struggle to answer. After two decades and eight albums (which often takes the band in a slightly new direction), the idea of squeezing Afenginn into a neat genre box feels increasingly difficult. From the earlier “Bastard Etno” high octane chaos to male choir/brass band situations with an invented languages, calm and cyclical and lyrical chamber works and now long-form movement-music with electronic elements, the music keeps wandering a little bit off track.

This first part of my little genre-rant looks at where we came from, and how it went as it went.

I sometimes wonder when the act of listening to music changed for me. These days I, probably like most people, often listen while doing other things: driving, cooking, cleaning, or trying to drown out the noise of the world. Noise-cancelling headphones help. And although I love listening to music, I rarely sit down with the singular purpose of just listening.

I grew up in a small Finnish town, and the library was often my after-school refuge. In winter it was already turning dusky by mid-afternoon. I’d walk through the snow, drop the heavy schoolbag and jacket in some corner, and enter a world of comics, books, and music.

The fourth and last single from the album Movements I is now out. It’s called Emberlin and is one of the calmer tracks on the album, and personally, it’s one of my favourite moments on the whole musical arc…

Third single from Movements I is out today: Undertryk.

Built on a hypnotic pizzicato groove, it slowly gathers its layers: Greek-style clarinet, African percussion, and wordless vocals. Sitting in the final spot on the A-side, it’s intimate, textured, and - hopefully - quietly addictive.

Taktstok, the second single from the upcoming Movements I album is out now. It has muscle, dance, pathos, and bombast, with Nordic flair - a bit like salmiak-infused salty liquorice on a bed of raspberry ice cream.

A week after releasing Aelva, we’re back with a new perspective. This Close-Up Version strips away the broader structures and dives into the physical core of the track. The pulse is heavier, the mood darker, the mix more intimate. It’s part of a series where we zoom in on different aspects of each piece, revealing new angles, textures, and emotions hidden inside the singles.

We’re releasing new music!! Our last release was in 2019 - the longest break we’ve taken since Afenginn began over two decades ago. But while it’s been quiet on the surface, we’ve been building underneath.

And today it begins. AELVA is the first single from Movements I - our eighth album, and the opening step in a long-form trilogy. In many ways it is the first movement. Exciting!

Something is stirring in the Afenginn universe. Movements is our eighth album and the first in a carefully constructed trilogy - a long-form musical work composed in interwoven movements, designed with the vinyl format in mind, and made to set your internal dancer free. There will be molecular rearrangements. There will be grit, elegance, and occasional chaos. And yes, the 70’s Finnish disko boy in me is very excited…!

The fourth track on "Retrograd" is "Tattar-intro," which serves as a prelude to "Tattar-humppa," the following track. Listen to the track and download the piano sheet.

The third track on "Retrograd" is "Sumpdronten á la Schwennske Orienten." This composition is set in 3/4 time in D minor with a tempo of ca 100 BPM, featuring the violin and clarinet playing in unison, mostly.

Next up on "Retrograd" is "Kazubstep," a tune composed by our talented bassist, Andrzej Krejniuk. Andrzej was in the band from the very beginning until 2006 and played an important role in shaping the initial sound of Afenginn. Kazubstep was often a highlight in our early shows, usually played as an encore along with "Hønen."