Having gained recognition with the release of his debut EP as well as collaborations with artists such as Prins Thomas and most recently on ‘Games’ with fellow Norwegian ARY, 2018 is looking very promising for Gundelach, with the release of his debut full length BALTUS.
Baltus is short for Balthazar, as Kai explains “Baltus is the name of the record because when I was growing up we had this big crow in our garden. It was in a tree there for about 12 years, and we called that crow Baltus,” explains Gundelach. “I have a crow tattooed on my forearm; I really like crows! They’re a symbol for death and darkness in olden times and maybe more recently they’re a symbol for melancholy and loss.”
It’s been eighteen months since Gundelach released his self-titled debut EP; this period has seen the Oslo-based musician tour everywhere and anywhere, with highlights including packing a massive tent in the middle of the afternoon at Oyafestival in 2016 for a celebratory hometown show and having Pharrell Williams play his music on Beats 1.
The album was recorded between Oslo and London with Knut Sævik (Mungolian Jetset), John Calvert (Ghostpoet, NAO), and Øyvind Mathisen (Cezinando, Nils Bech) as co-producers.