Today, rising Norwegian singer-songwriter Jarle Skavhellen is excited to share his sophomore album, Beech Street. To celebrate the release, he shares the retro-tinged true crime ballad, “20 Fathoms Deep.” Jarle explains: “There’s always an eerie silence in the waters outside of the Bergen countryside in the fall. It always felt like the perfect setting for a murder mystery novel. So, this song is my murder mystery novel. Inspired by the old stories from where my dad grew up.”
An avowed fan of Gregory Alan Isakov’s Evening Machines, Jarle sought out producer Tucker Martine [My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists, Neko Case, Sufjan Stevens, R.E.M.] who obliged to take the reins behind the board. Jarle travelled to the producer’s Portland, OR studio where he recorded for two weeks. “We really made the most of a short period of time,” smiles Jarle. “It was my first time in Portland, and Tucker was incredible to work with. He had a clear vision of which direction to take the songs in. The plan was to do a stripped-down mostly acoustic album. When we started playing, it became a separate thing. It was a creative environment. If one of us had an idea, we just went with it. We never stopped each other.”
Recording in the United States allowed him to organically explore his longstanding influence of Americana music. “The Americana vibe was never really a conscious choice,” he admits. “It just happened. I listen to a lot of folk. That usually bleeds into Americana at some point. I’m a big fan of J.J. Cale and Ry Cooder, some of those influences snuck into this record as well as simply being in the States.”
Jarle got his start in his hometown of Bergen, Norway. Following a string of singles and success on the Spotify Global Viral Chart, he engaged fans worldwide with his 2018 full-length debut, The Ghost In Your Smile. The record garnered praise from Clash, The 405, Thank Folk For That, and more. In addition to headlining shows across Europe, he has toured alongside Villagers and Ciaran Lavery, to name a few. The new record follows his 2020 EP, Northern Lights.
