Above the Arctic Circle during Norway’s season of darkness (“mørketiden”), a chance encounter between an American and a Norwegian spawned a transatlantic duo called The Familiar. Their music captures the glow of slow-burning embers softly illuminating the darkness. Their debut full-length album “Shelter” is itself a long-form crescendo. Starting with the dark and brooding “Spectre”, the record slowly unfolds into the light culminating with the ethereal release of “Everything”. Since their chance encounter above the Arctic Circle in Norway, the transatlantic duo has taken their time to meticulously craft their music exactly the way they want it. Ruth Mirsky’s sultry vocals provide a perfect complement to the dark, pulsating synthesizers and cinematic orchestral elements of Tromsø-born producer Mads Martinsen. Their sound, hailed as “seductive synthpop" by The Guardian, has evolved over the past few years with 2 independently released EPs, and syncs including spots with HP Enterprise/Virgin Racing, Six Scents Parfums, and the Norweigan drama "Unge Lovende”. The Familiar released their debut album "Shelter" on January 29, 2021.