Rural Tapes releases new album 'Oneiric' to great acclaim

RURAL TAPES
ONEIRIC
THE ACCLAIMED NEW ALBUM OUT NOW
LISTEN / PURCHASE HERE

“A masterclass in eclecticism”
Shindig Magazine
 
“A pupil-flicking riot of joyous befuddlement”
Electronic Sound
 
“TNT-period Tortoise with a nostalgically psychedelic twist”
Uncut
 
“Blissed-out sounds with a few chills from Nordic dreamweaver”
Prog
 
“Songs presenting themselves as wistful meditations, and others transporting the listener to realms beyond our comprehension”
Far Out Magazine

“It’s such a listenable album, weird and woozie in places, clear and direct in others. Just like your dreams… I’ll wager you’ll find yourself listening to it two or three times in a row the first time you put it on”
Moonbuilding

 
Rural Tapes has today (Oct 17th) released his fourth albumOneiricvia Clay Pipe Music to great acclaim.Oneiricis available now on vinyl LP, CD, and digital/streaminghere.
 
Oneiricis an expansive and enthralling record from the Rural Tapes moniker of Norwegian producer and multi-instrumentalist Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen. It is a record for the dreamers, a trippy cosmic aural experience of largely instrumental music, recorded analogue and crafted together at his Nygrenda Vev & Dur studio in rural Norway.
 
Regarding the album Arne says,“The word Oneiric refers to things connected with dreams. I've drawn inspiration from the strange, surreal, humorous, imaginative, and vividly colourful experiences that often unfold within them.
 
“I have played with genres, sounds and timbres and put together pieces of music that I think could be the soundtrack to a dream sequence. I love the way a dream can be so bizarre and yet still feel so natural, and I can relate to that otherworldliness in the way I compose and put together musical pieces. Some songs have a clear structure, some have not, some are minimalist, some are maximalist, some are wistful and some are joyful, but I think all of them are quite colourful and playful. 
 
“I’ve taken inspiration from many different music eras and many different corners of the world, from quirky British music to French dream pop to the 60s New York tape music scene to ambient and psychedelic music. The music is created hands on using old analogue gear such as tape machines, dictaphones, tape echoes and more to colour the music and give the sounds the right textures. This way I feel connected to the music I make.”
 
OnOneiricArne Kjelsrud Mathisen play organs, synthesizers, piano, mellotron, drums, drum machines, percussion, field recordings, trombone, tuba, electric guitars, vocals, vocoder and tape treatment. He is joined in parts by collaborators including Alexis Taylor, Gary Olson, Kristine Tjøgersen, Lars Løberg Tofte, Marin Stallemo Bakke, Sigurd Thomassen, Silje Høgevold, Terry Edwards and Øystein Braut.
 
In a career which spans two decades, Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen has cemented himself as a vital name from the Norwegian music scene. He has been a part of important Norwegian bands such as I Was A King and Heroes & Zeros, as well as the bi-continental jangle band The No Ones with Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey from R.E.M. and Minus 5 along with I Was A King frontman Frode Strømstad.
 
Launching his Rural Tapes project with the self-titled record in 2021, he solidified his status further for his inventive and progressive music. Rural Tapes is consistently met by a wealth of high praise as seen across the further studio albums includingInner Space Music(2022) andContact(2024). He now heightens senses further withOneiric, an album set to prove a vital record in his catalogue.
 
Celebrating the new album release Rural Tapes will be touring throughout Norway and Germany. The tour seven-date tour will include a special show whereOneiric, and the rest of the Rural Tapes catalogue, has been created at Nygrenda Vev & Dur on November 20th. Full Rural Tapes tour dates are listed below.
 
RURAL TAPES 2025 TOUR DATES
Nov 1st– Bergen, Landmark (with Kunnatic)
Nov 7th– Haugesund, Haugaland Prog & Rock Festival
Nov 8th– Arendal, Munken (with Silje Høgevold)
Nov 14th– Kristiansand, Vaktbua
Nov 15th– Oslo, Kafé Hærverk (with Mungolian Jet Set)
Nov 20th– Grimstad, Nygrenda Vev & Dur
Nov 21st– Berlin, Loge Bar
 
ONEIRICTRACK LISTING
A1 – NREM
A2 – Flower Lab
A3 – Retire The Fool
A4 – Hypermnesia
A5 – Eidetic Memory
 
B1 – Bird’s-Eye View
B2 – Woolgathering
B3 – Fantasia
B4 – Reverie
B5 – Dream Within A Dream
B6 – Lingering Souls
B7 – Lucid Dreaming
 
All songs written, arranged, produced & mixed by Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen at Nygrenda Vev & Dur, except A3 written with Alexis Taylor & B6 written with Gary Olson
Lyrics on A3 by Alexis Taylor
Lyrics on B6 by Gary Olson

Mastered by Antony Ryan at RedRedPaw Mastering
Artwork & cover design by Frances Castle (Clay Pipe Music)

Performed by 
Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen - organs, synthesizers, piano, mellotron, drums, drum machines, percussion, field recordings, trombone, tuba, electric guitars, vocals, vocoder & tape treatment
Alexis Taylor - vocals on A3
Gary Olson - vocals on B6
Kristine Tjøgersen - bass clarinet on A1 & B7 & flute, bass clarinet, cat & canary flute & electrician pipe on A2
Lars Løberg Tofte - bass guitar on A2, A4, B1, B3 & B6
Marin Stallemo Bakke - violins on A2, B1, B3, B5 & B6
Sigurd Thomassen - acoustic guitar on B1 & electric guitar on B6
Silje Høgevold - vocals on B1 and backing vocals on B6 
Terry Edwards - flute on A2 and trumpet on B7
Øystein Braut - electric guitar on A2, A4 & B7 & steel guitar on B3