“We have been received very well and we feel good here,” the band said, noting that they have always shared a special connection with Finland and its people.

Although fans have been waiting patiently for a new full-length album, the band explained that years of relentless touring and projects such as their work on The Phantom Carriage soundtrack have repeatedly pushed the creative process into the background. “We have so many demos that we’re really happy with, but just never have time to go into the studio and actually finish anything, because real life takes hold when you come from tour.” Rather than rushing the process, Kælan Mikla are determined to give the upcoming record the attention it deserves. “We have learned that we can’t do everything at the same time.”

“When we started, we didn’t know much. We just learned as we went. Now I feel like we have accumulated so much life experience and learned so much, and now I just want to make an amazing album. I have really expanded my toolbox.” With touring expected to slow down after the summer, the trio hopes to spend much more time in Iceland and finally immerse themselves in creativity again.

Yet perhaps the most fascinating part of the conversation revolved around what Kælan Mikla actually represents. For the three musicians, the project has always been much more than a band. “To us, it’s always been a whole world. We envision everything around Kælan Mikla within this ever-expanding universe.” That world, they explained, even manifests itself as an entity they call the Lady of the Cold — a symbol of winter, darkness and feminine strength. “It’s like an entity.” “It’s kind of like a spirit or something.”

Rather than consciously building mythology, the group feels these ideas emerge naturally through friendship, Icelandic folklore and the landscapes that surround them. Their creative process has become so intertwined that they jokingly refer to it as a hive mind. “We all know. This song is about northern lights and witches, or this is about mountains and streams.” In fact, the band does not even feel entirely responsible for guiding their own path. “Kælan Mikla kind of came to us instead of us making it go somewhere.” “It’s never planned. We can’t see where it’s going. But when it goes there, it’s so obvious. Of course it was supposed to go there.”

That mysterious connection extends beyond the three musicians themselves. According to the band, audiences become part of the same universe. “When everybody is in the room with us, we all become magnetic in the universe.” And while they hope listeners enjoy the music itself, their greatest satisfaction comes from hearing people describe emotions rather than meanings. “I don’t know what the song is about, but I felt it.”

Ultimately, that is all Kælan Mikla hope to leave behind. “If they leave with some magic in their heart, I think we succeed.”

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