There are some songs that demand your attention, and then there are those that seem to reach somewhere much deeper. Norwegian alternative rock outfit Kalandra have a particular talent for creating music that feels almost otherworldly, and their latest offering, ‘Animal’, featuring Faroese artist Elinborg, is a captivating example of just that.
Taken from their newly released studio album The Other Side, the track arrives with an atmosphere that feels almost ritualistic. Its haunting vocal introduction immediately draws you in, creating an almost hypnotic sense of anticipation before the rhythm begins to take hold. There’s something beautifully primal about the vocal delivery, with shades of Alanis Morissette in its expressive quality, but with an added feminine intensity that feels less like a conventional rock performance and more like a call to something ancient.
As the instrumentation builds, ‘Animal’ begins to reveal its real strength. The music is powerful without losing its atmospheric character, carrying an almost ancestral quality. There’s a feeling of being pulled towards something instinctive, something that exists beyond the boundaries of modern life and the structures we’ve created to understand ourselves.
That sense of duality feels particularly fitting given the collaboration with Elinborg. The two vocal presences bring another dimension to the track, complementing one another while reinforcing its underlying themes of identity, nature and consciousness. Rather than simply feeling like a guest feature, the collaboration feels integral to the song’s identity.
Musically, there’s plenty to get your teeth into, too. A particularly effective break shifts the atmosphere towards synth-driven territory before a guitar solo brings another layer of intensity. From there, the track builds towards a full-bodied instrumental finale, allowing the various elements to come together in a powerful closing flourish.
Interestingly, the story behind ‘Animal’ is almost as intriguing as the track itself. Originally conceived in 2022, the song spent years in the band’s archives before finding its place on The Other Side. When Elinborg approached Kalandra about a potential collaboration, she connected immediately with the possibilities within the demo. The decision to transform it into a duet introduced a new sense of duality to both the arrangement and its lyrical direction.
That duality runs through the wider concept of the album, too. Inspired by a series of vivid and recurring dreams experienced over several years, vocalist and songwriter Katrine Stenbekk and bandmate Jogeir Daae Mæland began exploring dream analysis, documenting fragments of their subconscious experiences as soon as they woke. Those scattered images, emotions and narratives eventually became the foundations for the songs on The Other Side.
The accompanying video for ‘Animal’, created by VJUS, further explores the questions at the heart of the track: are we part of nature, or have we somehow separated ourselves from it? Can technology ever truly explain who we are, or will there always be something beyond our understanding?
Perhaps that’s what makes ‘Animal’ such an engaging listen. Beneath its atmospheric layers and powerful instrumentation lies something wonderfully human, or perhaps something wonderfully inhuman. It encourages you to look beyond the labels we give ourselves and reconnect with the instincts that existed long before we started trying to define them.
Kalandra have created something that feels both beautifully haunting and fiercely alive. ‘Animal’ doesn’t simply invite you to listen; it feels as though it’s calling you to remember something.
And sometimes, perhaps, it’s worth listening to that call!
