Track By Track: Susanna – ‘Triangle’

Norwegian singer details her new album...

Susanna is perhaps best known as an interpreter.

The Norwegian has covered everyone from Leonard Cohen to AC/DC, treating each as a sacred object.

Yet she's also an intensely creative songwriter. New album 'Triangle' features more than 70 minutes of enthralling music, 22 tracks of diverse, riveting lyricism.

Probing elements of identity, environmentalism, consciousness and much, much more, 'Triangle' isn't a record you can forget in a hurry.

Enthralled, Clash invited Susanna to give our readers a track-by-track guide to the album.

1. Holy / Sacred
Every album should have a declaration or two. It felt good to be so insisting. I have been digging deep on this album, in different states of mind, body, heart and spirit.

2. We Don’t Belong
Imagine arriving on Earth from another planet, how weird everything would feel. At least that’s how I picture it. And sometimes it feels that alienating to be from Earth, on Earth.

3. Texture Within
An out of your body / inside your mind experience. Or out of your mind / inside your body experience.

4. Fear And Terror
For the first time in my writing, I wanted to, more specifically, include the scary sides of belief and people being convinced they own the truth and are entitled to do the wildest things to other people, causing a lot of pain. A part of growing up is seeing and experiencing the terrible reality, bit by bit. Freaks me out.

5. Before The Alter
‘Before The Altar’ is a prayer of some sorts, worshipping all the gods that have ever existed.

6. Hole
This song comes from a dark place, and is about the feeling of falling, and the feeling of falling into the dark. Not entirely a negativ experience though, as the repeated visits to this mental state can give a certain safety. To find yourself at the bottom looking up is a strong existential recognition.

7. Shepherd
The shepherd can be whatever you want it to be.

8. Under Water
Have you heard Jenny Hval’s (as Rockettothesky) brilliant song ‘God Is Underwater’? I wrote ‘Under Water’ to Jenny’s song. It may seem strange, but I sometimes do that.

9. This / Phenomena
Highly inspired by David Lynch and John Carpenter.

10. For My Sins
What if no one or nothing can wash your sins away.

11. Burning Sea
Burning Sea is about the experience of giving in to something, surrender, and feeling trapped at the same time, both wonderful and dangerous. The ambivalence and madness in it, giving in to the dark forces and feeling safe. I wrote this song in LA where a lot of the material for the album came to life. I am very fascinated by the sunny, beautiful and urban in combination with the pumping undercurrents of creativity in that city.

12. In The Need Of A Shepherd
The search for blinding light can be intoxicating in itself, don’t we all search for guidance and someone to own a truth we can apply to and be lead by from time to time.

13. Born Again
A paraphrase over being born again, in a spiritual sense, and being born again and again, with reincarnation. Which is two different things. Or is it the same. Who knows. I really love the Bernstein-song ‘Who Am I’ by the way, who deals with the matter of reincarnation.

14. Triangle
The whole album started with what I call a revelation, on a flight across United States, where I wrote big parts of the title song ‘Triangle’. It is the only love song on the album, and I didn’t know at the time how important it was going to be for the work with the album, even though it felt massive when it happened. Highly inspired by dreamlike visions, Crowley, Rimbaud and Sylvia Plath. What an odd combo.

15. Pyramid
The only song which is co-composed by anybody. Helge Sten is a wizard with music and sound, and his contribution is always much appreciated.

16. Ebb And Flow
I think we’re all under the spell of the Moon. The old goddess pulls and pushes us, secretly steers us while we go about with our modern life. Thinking we’ve got it all under control, while we’re really under the influence of nature. This song describes the feeling of being held by the force of the moon.

17. Decomposing
Can a soul decompose? While you are still alive, or do you have to die for the decomposing to start.

18. The Fire
This song is for all the witches out there, who feels the fire burning and follows the urge to do something about it. Who experience to be held down by the union of the church, the patriarchy and the capitalism.

19. Sacred Revolution
The revolution is coming. Wait for it!

20. Purple
Purple is an essential colour in the Triangle song cycle. This is graphic disturbed love, and a song inspired by the traditional ‘Black Is The Colour Of My True Love’s Hair’ as sung by my hero Nina Simone.

21. Death Hanging
I find great comfort in the fact that when it comes to death, we’re all equal.

22. In My Blood
The blood is essential in most religions, maybe because of it’s importance to us as living creatures. It can be dirty, sinful and holy. It has the power to cleanse you, and it has the power to condemn you.

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Susanna's new album 'Triangle' is out now.

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