Under Byen

Denmark's experimental electronic collective Under Byen, pronounced Oh'nah-Boon, comprises Henriette Sennenvaldt on vocals, Stine Sørensen and Morten Larsen on drums, Sara Saxild handling bass, Nils Grøndahl on violin, Anders Stochholm with kalimba, Morten Svenstrup on cello, and Thorbjørn Krogshede at the piano. The group first assembled in 1995, devoting the ensuing years to crafting a hypnotic sonic approach that echoes the styles of Sigur Rós and Björk. By 1998 Under Byen had become the inaugural signing to the Danish indie label have a cigar, swiftly captivating their native audience. The band's debut album Kyst arrived to strong acclaim and secured multiple Danish music honors, among them best Danish band. Issued in 2002, the follow-up Det Er Mig Der Holder Træerne Sammen reached international listeners, drawing admiration from Rolling Stone's David Fricke and the BBC's John Peel for the ensemble's singular, mesmerizing arrangements. American audiences encountered Under Byen anew with the arrival of the third album Samme Stof Som Stof, whose fall 2006 Paper Bag release aligned with a series of European tour dates.