Symbio, “Sonder”
Symbio is one of the more interesting duos I’ve come across in my career as an explorer in the Nordic folk scene. Not only is the instrumentation alone enough to cause a head-turn, featuring a hurdy gurdy and an accordion (played by Johannes Geworkian Hellman and Lars-Emil Öjeberget, respectively), but it's how these instruments are used that will catch many by surprise.
As I’ve made repeat journeys through their discography over the years, I can say with confidence that Symbio is without equal. While their debut album Phoresy was a more austere dialogue between the two instruments with little added accompaniment, the duo has since expanded their sound with the tasteful addition of electronics to “fill the room”, so to speak, beginning with their 2018 sophomore album Rising. This development continued through the award-winning 2022 Endeavour, creating a truly cinematic and immersive sonic experience. With Sonder, curious listeners and devout followers alike are finally given the next installment of the Symbio saga, and with it, pressing questions of just how far these world class musicians can push the boundaries of their instruments and compositions alike.
The album wastes no time getting started with In the Darkest Hour, immediately building on the same lush and expansive sound palette from the previous album. It features the iconic seamless exchanges between hurdy-gurdy and accordion over an infectious groove, and succeeds as an introduction for what one can expect for the rest of the album. Parting Road and Ode to Us show complementary sides to Symbio’s style, with a slow and pulsing number, respectively. But it’s with track four, When I Look Up Into that we reach my favorite section of the album. When I Look Up Into is an effective break in the album, and effectively a prelude (also in name) for the following track Starlit Skies which is just perfection to my ears. The simplicity of the riff, the accompaniment, and the groove all together just work so well together, resulting in the most memorable track on the album for me. Tapestry Within gives the rare slow balladic track for Symbio’s discography, offering the listener a melancholic track led by lush chords underpinning a wistful and introspective melody. True to the name, Tapestry Within is a beautiful example of how well these musicians weave the threads of accordion and hurdy-gurdy together in a way that only complements the strengths of each. Synergy kicks the listener out of the melancholic haze with an enthralling and percussive tune, giving a needed second wind to make it through the home stretch of the record after the quiet repose of the previous three tracks. Despite being the title track, Sonder is surprisingly understated, but it is difficult following up the continuous brilliant stream of compositions from the opening moments to the end of Synergy. Not that it’s a weak tune by any means, but I wonder if this tune might have had its strengths better appreciated as the opening track. But with Horizons (epilogue), the record ends on an excellent play with texture and timbre, with Johannes plucking the hurdy-gurdy to support Emil’s chord-driven lead. Horizons leaves you with a moment to digest the journey of the record while also inevitably leading your mind to prospects of where things might lead in Symbio’s next (pardon the pun) endeavour.
There’s a craftsmanship to Sonder that only builds on the groundwork laid in earlier albums and especially Endeavour. Each track builds on a surprisingly simple idea without over-treading its possibilities, leading to a drama inherent in each composition that builds tension to a satisfying and cathartic resolution, only aided by the tasteful use of effects which enhance the overall immersion of the album.
Symbio is one of the most exciting acts in the folk and world music scene today, but they don’t achieve this accolade through sheer novelty of instrumentation alone. It is the daring to explore what these instruments can say together, and the willingness to follow those paths to the boundaries of the map. Sonder, in this regard, is a testament to the passion these two musicians have for their art.
-Jameson
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Press Release:
“After 15 years together and a decade of touring in more than 20 countries, the acclaimed duo Symbio are releasing their fourth album, Sonder. In recent years, the group has established itself as one of the most distinctive and active bands on the progressive folk music scene. Sonder will be released on 2 October 2026 and follows Endeavour, which was awarded “Album of the Year” at the Swedish Folk & World Music Awards in 2023. In spring 2027, Symbio will tour across Sweden, Europe, Canada and the USA.
With song titles such as “Parting Road”, “Synergy” and “The Tapestry Within”, Symbio explores different perspectives on relationships and how we can change through them – in our encounters with other people and in our relationship with ourselves.
The duo has moved audiences around the world with their fusion of modern folk music and electronic club music, a sound often compared to the music of film and video games. With virtuosity and an innovative approach to the traditional instruments hurdy-gurdy and accordion, combined with electronics and beats, the duo creates captivating instrumental music where heartfelt melodies, dreamlike soundscapes and hypnotic rhythms portray life-affirming themes.
Alongside the album release, Symbio will also be featured as composers and live musicians in collaboration with the renowned Swedish circus company Cirkus Cirkör, internationally acclaimed for its emotionally powerful stage productions. The new show, Between Us, premieres in September 2026.”