Finally, Råhypnos (the duo of Nadja Virgé and Pablo Rautenberg) from Gothenburg, Sweden, are back with a new album. 'What Is Real?' has a much folkier sound than their previous 'Do We Want It?' (2016) album, somewhat due to being recorded in the kitchen to try and recreate the feeling of sitting around the kitchen table and making music together. There are some electronic elements, but this is largely an acoustic effort, with certain rocky surprises. Råhypnos certainly has not abandoned their dark demeanor, with track titles such as "I'll Bury You" and "Starving Skin," but it's not all murder ballads on 'What Is Real?.' "Salt Water" rocks out like there's no tomorrow. For some strange reason 'Fields of Electricity" reminded me of Charming Disaster, that Goth-Folk duo from Brooklyn, NY. Kind of Tom Waits too, without the gravelly delivery. When the concertina kicks in, it seems expected. "Heart Full Of Longing" would be an exceptional song in any genre, but with its bare bones orchestration (until the end) it is ever so poignant. I want to hear this song in a Netflix series!

Although I thought the title track was a little 'by the numbers,' it still conveyed the feeling of uncertainty I think we're all feeling now. Many of us also have "An Urge To Shout" too, but it turned out to be not one of the stronger tracks on the album. "Endless Nights" is born of nostalgia for a past that just can't be revisited - "Endless nights and the smell of cigarettes...city lights and the chase for something new..." Most of us have been there some time or other. 'What Is Real?' is a very good but not great album, but an album doesn't have to be great to be engaging. It's what you might expect of talented people sitting around the kitchen table and making dark music together.