Taizé EP by Mildfire

Berlin/Oslo-based collective MILDFIRE releases the "Taizé EP" on March 5th, 2025. The EP is compiled of new tracks released between Mildfire's tour in Japan last fall, and duo shows Germany this spring.

Made of haunted choir parts, dreamy mandolin, feverish drums, and a wild polar bear of a fuzz bass, "Backup Singer" is the opening track. It's a winter ballad about friendships turning cold. Faded dreams, bad reception and brown bananas. Partly written on tour in China walking under the canopy of trees along the Shanghai motorways. Dizzy with impressions, breathing in the toxic air.

Singer Einar Stray explains: "Even though you both don't want the friendship to end, you're unable to reach out to try and fix it. It turns into a mix of grief and acceptance."

"Taizé", the title track is Stray's "last attempt to find God". He went into a monastery in the French fields of Taizé, but didn’t find her. "Instead one of the munks inspired me to study philosophy. It turned out to be a 'useless' degree. I guess this song is an ode to all the 'wrong' turns we do in life – that they might have value after all, simply by being a part of your story."

The whole song is sung as a choir, made up of siblings of the band members. Mildfire have already been able to test the song on their previous tours.

"Maple Leaves" is a dreamy duet, built on longing-felt pianos, electronic crackles, pitched vocal samples, an underwater choir, catchy bass guitar, and thoughtful whisk drums.

"The song was born in the middle of our European tour, where Kind of Dusk was our support artist. During a break in Berlin, we found ourselves in Lukas’ cozy studio, improvising and recording two pianos at the same time. It was pure joy working with such a rare talent—Lukas challenged us to strip things down, to write something minimalistic and true"

Pianist/producer Lukas Streich adds: "What makes the song special to me is that it really feels like a moment that has been captured. Mildfire came up with the idea pretty quickly, when we met in my studio. And we recorded and arranged it right away. My feeling when I listen to the song is still very close to the original moment."

At its core, “Maple Leaves” is about falling in love while falling into tourist traps, capturing the feeling of being childish and happy in a fleeting moment. But underneath, the song questions the relationship—was it real, or was it just escapism?

Mildfire is an Oslo and Berlin based musician and producer collective

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