Audiopile Review: The deeper you dig into Gothenburg’s underground, the more certain names start to resurface—Hugo Randulv is among them. A member of lo-fi dream-pop favourites Amateur Hour, post-punk outfit Makthaverskan, and experimental folk collective Enhet För Fri Musik, among many others, he’s tied to a wide range of pursuits. His latest release on Discreet Music, Drukna I Ljus, further solidifies this creative shapeshifting. A meditative, minimal work, Drukna I Ljus features two stirring sidelong pieces built primarily around electric cello. The first side ebbs and flows between the looped slow sawing of his droning cello. Its patiently mesmerizing—stark yet deeply human. Fans of the organic drones of Sarah Davachi, the works of minimalist greats like Phill Niblock, or the emotive drone-folk textures of Tongue Depressor will find much to admire here. The second side leans into harsher terrain, embracing noise that will potentially challenge the uninitiated while rewarding those already attuned to the GBG scene. In ways echoing a more approachable spin on elements found in Sewer Election’s work, with whistling atmospheres that simultaneously unsettle and lull the senses. 2025 is shaping up to be another extraordinary year for Discreet Music.

***

The much anticipated sophomore solo album from Hugo Randulv (Enhet För Fri Musik, Amateur Hour, Makthaverskan etc). Following up the praised Radio Arktis that was released on Förlag För Fri Musik back in 2021, Drunkna I Ljus was composed and recorded mainly during 2024 and consists of two sidelong epics based entirely on electric cello with a sparse use of controlled guitar feedback. The overall ambience and cold yet weirdly encouraging harmonies from Radio Arktis are recognizable and still present, but otherwise this is a much more stripped down affair in every possible way. While comparisons could be made with some Obscure Records classics and whatnot, this is at the same time music that owes just as much to contemporary Gothenburg as it does to experimental cassette culture in general. A minimal masterpiece of immense beauty.