Heilung Bring Nordic Mystery With New Track, ‘Anoana’

Heilung is not a new name to us here at Essentially Pop; their haunting melodies first hit our radar late last year, with the release of their single, ‘Norupo‘. Now we have the immense privilege to write about their latest release, the gorgeous ‘Anoana’, which comes with an equally stunning music video.

A young girl is in the forest, where she attaches twigs to her head, to represent antlers. There’s something about her; something regal, something bewitching. And we’re right to feel this way as the next person to appear in the clip is Heilung’s vocalist, Maria Franz, who likewise wears antlers on her head, emerges from the sea, looking very bit like a Nordic shaman. If you’ve watched shows like ‘Vikings’, you know what I’m talking about.

Folk group Heilung – their very name means “healing” – have been on a journey to share their fascination with Norse history since 2014, and they’ve been reminding listeners of the importance of being connected to nature, along with folklore, tradition, and ancient rituals, many of which have echoes across all cultures.

Heilung often use the same sort of skin, bone, and stone instruments that Viking musicians used themselves, and in so doing deepen the conneciton between the past and today. Haunting, mystical, often frightening, their music touches the deepest parts of your very soul. ‘Anoana’, from their third album, ‘Drif’, is filled with sweeping, cinematic, and hypnotic sounds, tempered from time to time with hints of metal and atmospheric music. And like ‘Norupo’,. whose video has so far been streamed 12 million times, the lyrics to ‘Anoana’ are taken from ancient sources. While ‘Norupo’ was based on a Norwegian rune poem, written in Futhark, ‘Anoana’ is based on inscriptions carved into golden amulets, that were recovered from Northern European sites by archaeologists and treasure hunters.

The music video for ‘Anoana’, shot in the most glorious Nordic scenery – from the mountains to the beaches – takes us to a cave, where a woman gives birth to an ethereally beautiful baby. Of course, it’s easy to connect the baby with the child in the forest, and in turn, with Maria Franz herself; and maybe it is the case, that they are the one person: it’s left up to our imaginations.

Watch the mesmerising video for ‘Anoana’ below, and let us know what you think. You can also check out ‘Norupo‘ here. Find out more about Heilung and their music online on their official website, Facebook, and Instagram.