Karisma Records is proud to announce a new album from Finnish collective Onségen Ensemble. The band’s fifth album, A Tale, will be released June 26th on vinyl, CD and digital formats, and will be available on all major streaming platforms.
With A Tale, the band’s expression becomes more ethereal and profound than before. While Onségen Ensemble operates within a progressive mindset, they deliberately avoid traditional genre boundaries, creating music that moves forward by absorbing influences intuitively, free from stylistic dogma.
The band has this to say about A Tale:
On the album A Tale, we felt a strong need to explore something new. As with our previous records, we’ve always introduced new elements along the way — instruments as well as musicians — and this album is no exception.
Vilma’s contribution as a vocalist has influenced our sound far beyond that of a single instrument. In many ways, her presence is defining. We believe this significant shift expands our expression into something broader, richer, and even more nuanced.
The central theme of the album is peace. In many ways, it feels like the only value that still truly holds meaning in today’s world. Peace is diverse, what we dare not be.
The first taste from A Tale is the opening track Garden of Celestials, which is released both as a digital single and video on the 30th of April. The song can be heard and seen here:
The band has this to say about Garden of Celestials:
Garden of Celestials is an excellent example of the direction we have taken as a band — hazier, more softer and more ethereal.
Like many of our songs, it explores the far side of the horizon of thought: an unreachable destination that we move toward with deliberate determination, not fully knowing what it may ultimately offer us.
Based in the north and shaped by its environment, Onségen Ensemble has built a distinctive identity through constant transformation. Rather than a fixed lineup, the band functions as a living ensemble: a stable core surrounded by ever-changing contributors. Each album introduces new voices, instruments and perspectives, allowing the music to evolve freely and remain open to the unexpected.
The album was produced by Niko Lehdontie, known for his work with Oranssi Pazuzu, Kairon; IRSE!, Grave Pleasures and Kaleidobolt. His involvement brings a subtle psychedelic undercurrent to the album, balanced by a strong sense of beauty and restraint.
With artwork by Merja Järvelin, the tracklist for A Tale is:
1. Garden of Celestials
2. To be Led by the Lost
3. A Thought
4. The Word
5. Oldest Father
6. The First Casualty
7. Crystal Water of Spring
A Tale will be released on the 26th of June in CD, Digital and Black and Transparent Rabbit Hole Vinyl formats, and is available to pre-order now from:
Onségen Ensemble has previously performed across the Nordic countries, including Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Their northern origin is an essential part of their sound: spacious, patient and shaped by distance, silence and landscape. With the new partnership with Karisma Records, the band hopes to bring their music to a wider audience and to expand their live activity in the coming years.
Personnel on A Tale:
Heikki Hallanoro – percussions
Tuuli Jartti – violin
Merja Järvelin – backing vocals, art work
Esa Juujärvi – bass, vocals, recording and co-production
Samuli Lindberg – drums
Joni Mäkelä – guitar
Vilma Pesola – vocals
Mikko Vuorela – flute, harmonica, soundscapes
Jarmo Väärä – trumpet
For more information on Onségen Ensemble, please visit their Facebook page.
