Tore G Thomassen doesn’t go for grand statements. He’s not chasing trends or trying to squeeze his music into what’s hot right now. He’s building something quieter, more lasting — the kind of music that doesn’t shout to be heard but stays with you once it finds a way in.
Hailing from a small Norwegian town, Thomassen got his start behind a keyboard in an indie rock band. But it was in instrumental work that he found his voice. Over time, he’s carved out a space that’s his own, somewhere between the ambient stillness of Sigur Rós and the minimal, emotional touch of Ólafur Arnalds. Think late-night snow, flickering window light, and something unspoken sitting in your chest — that’s where his music lives.
His new album, Calculated Dreams, leans into all of that. It’s restrained but deeply felt. Tracks move like thoughts — sometimes circular, sometimes drifting. The recently released Fading Memories sits right in the heart of it. It’s not the kind of piece that explodes or builds to some huge climax. It’s more like a breath held too long, or a sentence someone almost says but never finishes. There’s a low pulse underneath, soft chords that come and go like they’re trying not to wake something. It’s beautiful, but it’s also just… real.
This is music that works quietly in the background of your day — or at the forefront of your late nights. It would absolutely work in film, especially scenes where silence says more than words. It’s easy to imagine Fading Memories scoring a moment of grief, reflection, or a slow realization in a Nordic crime drama or a coming-of-age indie film that doesn’t need to try too hard.
Thomassen’s strength is knowing when to hold back. Nothing feels overdone. He knows that sometimes what hits the hardest is the space between notes.
He’s already made a mark with Northern Lights pulling in over 230k streams, but you get the feeling that’s not the goal. The goal seems to be honesty. And Fading Memories, like the rest of Calculated Dreams, carries that forward with quiet confidence.
If Calculated Dreams continues the thread he’s been pulling at, it won’t beg for attention. But it might quietly undo you in the best way possible.
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