GISKE Connects with Fans Through New Release "Light Upon the Water" and Reveals the Story Behind Their Music
- STAFF
- Jun 20
- 9 min read
By: Staff
“Light Upon the Water” is a soul-stirring triumph—lush, luminous, and achingly evocative from first note to last.
Every now and then, a song arrives that doesn't need to shout to be heard. It drifts in like morning light over still water, subtle, patient, and unforgettable.
GISKE recently released “Light Upon the Water”, a hauntingly beautiful track from a pair of lifelong collaborators whose roots run deep into the quiet soil of a coastal island few could find on a map. Together, they've crafted something intimate yet expansive, music shaped by memory, distance, and devotion.
Though their past work may have reached gold-certified heights, this project comes from a quieter place, built not for the stage, but for rooms filled with sunlight and silence. There’s a story behind this song, and an even deeper one behind the bond that created it.
We sat down with the artists to talk about childhood bike rides, small-island beginnings, and the long road to their new album.
Keep reading for a rare and personal conversation with the voices behind “Light Upon the Water”.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview:
Hello GISKE, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more intrigued to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Q. What inspired you to choose the name GISKE as your artist persona? How does it reflect the connection you want to build with your fans, and what personal significance does it hold for you?
A. Alex:
Back when we had just started out, we agreed to an interview with a local paper. At the time, we didn’t have a name—but with the article going to print in a couple of days, we needed to come up with one quickly.
I suggested The Windy Willows, inspired by Kenneth Grahame’s classic, but Rune and Ronnie weren’t convinced. Ronnie suggested we simply call ourselves GISKE, after the island we were from. Rune liked it right away. I wasn’t so sure, so I came up with The Lighthouse Keepers, inspired by an Incredible String Band song. But that didn’t land either, and with two votes for GISKE, the decision was made.
Well, that was HOW the name came about. Maybe Ronnie or Rune will tell you WHY?
A. Rune:
To be honest, I’d forgotten all about those other names. The Lighthouse Keepers is a really good one for sure—I’d definitely check out that band. But GISKE is short, unusual, and it feels right. The place has shaped who we are—wind, rain, and all.
Q. Can you tell us the names and roles of the core members of GISKE? How did you choose who to bring into the process, and how did each person help shape the final sound of the album?
A. Rune:
Alex is the lead singer and main lyricist, Ronnie plays percussion, I play the guitar and compose most of the melodies. In addition to that, I also produce our records. The three of us have known each other since childhood, and Alex and I are cousins, so our dynamic is less “band” and more lifelong partnership. There’s a closeness there that helps shape our sound.
Q. We heard there’s a very exciting story about how the band got started and we’d love for you to tell us more about this.
A. Rune:
It all started one morning in the summer of 1991. I was 15, and Alex was 21. He took me on a bike ride around the island of Giske. I was sitting on the back, holding on for dear life, when he turned around—no hands on the handlebars—and asked if I wanted to start a band. I’ve never been one for speed or danger, and I was convinced we were about to crash, so I shouted “Yes!”.
But it wasn’t just my survival instinct kicking in—I had recently discovered The Beatles and The Dukes of Stratosphear (on one of my dad’s mixtapes) and had quietly started dreaming about making music myself. Alex had played drums in various bands, could sing, wore colorful shirts, and had one of the largest record collections on the island.
That same day, we wrote our first two songs—Epitaph and Fuck Forever. They weren’t masterpieces—far from it—but something clicked. A rhythm between us. And from that moment on, we never really stopped.
Over the years, we’ve been in all kinds of bands—some that lasted a few hours, others that led to gold records and long tours. But no matter what form it took, making music has always been our way of staying connected.
Q. We absolutely loved the opening to “Light Upon the Water.” The beautiful resonant guitar and soft drums along with the incredibly amazing vocals really created and established an amazing calm sensation on the listener. The song already feels like an iconic hit. Does a song like this come across as something of a burst or organically, or is it more of a structured decision? What is the process for how you created such a beautiful song?
A. Rune:
Thank you! We wrote Light Upon the Water in the attic of the Yellow House, where Alex lives. It was a mild autumn day—mild enough, at least, that we could sit out on the veranda for a little while and watch the light flicker and sparkle on the sea between Holmen and Alnes. That became the starting point for the song.
When we came back in, Alex made a pot of fennel tea to warm us up and brought out a box of parallelogram-shaped biscuits with a hint of anise, along with a tiny jar of mandarin marmalade.
It didn’t take long to finish the first draft, even though the tea-and-biscuit break lasted a good while. I think we were both pleased with how we managed to translate what we’d seen from the veranda into words and music—without disturbing the mood we started with. It came out feeling cool and open, understated.
We tried to keep that feeling intact during the recording process too. It was like hand-feeding a baby bird—you can’t rush it. You have to be patient and gently lure it out.
As a producer, I’m a firm believer in getting musicians into a room and having them play together. Unfortunately, that approach is getting rarer. But at Ocean Sound, there’s plenty of space, so six of us recorded the basic track live. The vocal take was originally just meant as a guide, but it turned out so good we kept it exactly as it was.
The lead guitar happened almost by accident. I didn’t have my usual guitar with me and borrowed a Telecaster. There were a few reverb pedals plugged in that I’d forgotten to switch off, and I got a completely different sound than I’d planned. Everyone liked it, so we just went with it. I think it took two or three takes before the whole thing was done.
Q. Can you tell us about the meaning of “Light Upon the Water” lyrically?
A. Alex:
I’m not much of a topical writer, and I’m not sure any of my lyrics have a specific meaning. Usually, I’m just trying to create a certain feel—paint a picture, if you like.
The words usually come to me while Rune is in the room, playing his acoustic guitar, and it all just sort of happens—words and music—right then and there. I have to admit, it sometimes feels like magic.
This particular song, though, is mostly about loss, I think. Magic and loss, love and loss. The first verse just kind of sums it up—well, at least it does for me.
Q. Your second album was created over ten separate visits to Giske. Did writing one song per visit change how you approached songwriting compared to your earlier work?
A. Rune:
Not really—I don’t think so. The way we’ve always written is by sitting down with a guitar, nothing prepared, and just seeing what happens. It’s been like that since the beginning. It usually starts with me fiddling about on the guitar for a while, and then Alex suddenly shouting, “What was that? That was great!” And that’s how we know we’ve begun. That’s the starting shot.
Q. The Yellow House on Giske clearly played an important role in the album's creation. What kind of energy or inspiration did that space bring into your music?
A. Rune:
Alex’s places have always ended up as the basecamp for our projects. Some people have the party flat — Alex has the music HQ. It started in the poorly insulated pool room in his parents’ basement, where we rehearsed two or three nights a week as teenagers. No one knew our lyrics better than Alex’s parents.
The pool room had its own character — dried flowers hung from the ceiling, gifts to Alex after his operations. Over time, it turned into an upside-down flower forest. The walls were covered in posters — The Stone Roses, The Sundays, The House of Love, Echo & the Bunnymen — looking down on us, making sure we kept out music pure.
The Yellow House has a similar feeling. It’s full of music and personality — shelves packed with records and CDs, photos of old lighthouses, framed Mucha prints, and cupboards always stocked with tea and biscuits.
Q. How did it feel returning to Ocean Sound Studio? The Margarets helped found it, so what was it like to record this new material there years later under GISKE?
A. Rune:
Ironically, The Margarets never actually recorded at the studio we built for ourselves—we split up just before it opened. So yeah, it felt good to finally come back. It’s a destination studio in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by mountains, sea, and fresh air. A perfect place for both isolation and inspiration.
Q. You’ve had massive success in the past with The Margarets. GISKE seems like a deeply personal project, so what’s the biggest difference for you between writing for a band with commercial success and writing for something so rooted in friendship and home?
A. Rune:
The Margarets was always an indie band at heart. We just ended up becoming much bigger than anyone had expected—including ourselves. The bands we looked up to were never the chart-toppers of the day. Quite the opposite, really—the more obscure, the better. We expected The Margarets to remain a niche phenomenon, at best.
So when we started selling a lot of records, it didn’t really change our approach to making music. We would always choose the songs we liked best as singles, rather than the most commercial ones. And the songwriting process stayed the same throughout.
Q. The island of Giske has only 610 residents, yet it has produced some truly beautiful music through your work. How does growing up in such a small, remote place influence your creative process?
A. Alex:
The island itself is beautiful beyond words. I spend a lot of time walking in our little forest and by the sea, and the music I love seems to blend in perfectly with nature. There’s always a song playing in my head, and music and nature become one. So yes—the island was, and still is, a huge inspiration.
If I’d grown up in a big city, my approach to music would likely have been very different.
Q. The album title, Ten Visits, Ten Songs, reflects a literal structure. Was there also an emotional or narrative arc that emerged across those ten songs?
A. Alex:
Hmmm, great question. I hadn’t really thought about it that way—but since you ask, yes, there may very well be some kind of connection between the songs. It’s not just a collection of random tracks; I do feel they come together to form a whole, something that has a sense of belonging. I hope listeners out there feel that too.
Exactly what that connection is, though, I couldn’t really say.
Q. Has GISKE ever recorded a cover song? If not, is there one you’ve always wanted to reinterpret, and what draws you to that particular song?
A. Alex:
We actually did record a cover once. During a rehearsal for a school tour, Rune played a brilliant song I’d never heard before. As it turned out, neither had he—he’d just discovered it in an old songbook. I liked it so much I suggested we record it someday, and years later, it ended up on our first album. It’s a traditional song, so who knows who wrote it. It’s called Wanderin’. Oddly enough, I’ve never heard another version—not before, and not since.
Personally, I’d absolutely love to make an album of covers—mostly folk songs. The list is endless, really. It’s almost impossible to pick a favorite, but Fine Horseman by Lal & Mike Waterson is definitely in the top ten.
Why? Just listen. The picture it paints, the whole atmosphere, is so achingly beautiful. That autumnal feeling, the very Englishness of it all—it’s like time travel.
Q. We can't thank you enough for sharing these intimate details! So, what's next? Can you give us the inside scoop on your upcoming projects and what fans should be excited about? We'd love to be the first to share the news!
A. Rune:
Our next single—out just after summer—features the brilliant singer and artist Maria Due. We’re really excited about that one.
GISKE, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared GISKE’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
Now, click the links below to experience their incredible work firsthand!
