I hope Nicholas & Sebastian won’t be offended if I say that their artist name prompted a memory of 1960s pop-sters Peter & Gordon (‘A world without love’ – actually a great song) rather than, say 1990s indie rockers Belle & Sebastian. It does have a sort of dated feeling to it.
And I’m showing my age now as well, aren’t I?
Collectively they comprise the British composer Nicholas Sillitoe and the Polish violinist and string arranger Sebastian Gruchot, both of whom are residents of Norway now (specifically Kristiansand for the stattos amongst you).
Readers may already be aware of Nicholas. He has featured a couple of times here and was listed in the Top Songs of 2025 review. He’s an orchestrator of majestic ‘post-classical’ cinematic music that unexpectedly focuses on reconnecting with silence and peace rather than instrumental warfare in the expectation that the music can create a space for calm, reflection and belonging.
They teamed up in the spring of 2020 – not the best of times for any team building exercise as the pandemic got its claws into us – and took creative refuge in the forested outskirts of Kristiansand. They began a new project aimed at blending Nicholas’ melancholy, post-classical piano style with Sebastian’s elegant, multi-layered strings.
And that led to a framework for the future: ‘music for daydreams’. To the initiated that’s what you spend your time doing while you are languishing in the departure lounge waiting for your delayed flight. Sorry, Brian. (Think about it).
They have just released a new dual single, of the two pieces: ‘Credo’ and ‘Butterfly Blue.’
‘Credo’, as the title suggests, implies a statement of the beliefs or aims which guide someone’s actions. Its meagre opening piano notes hint at the opening shots of a detective straight out of a Nordic Noir TV drama, let’s call it The Killing on the Bridge, as he/she mulls over the ghastly crime scene, trying to come to terms with the meaning of life and whether to stay in the force or throw their badge into the sea and seek a monastery.
Then, as the strings enter, the other cop wanders over, puts an arm around the shoulder, speaks some words of wisdom and off they stroll into the twilight, their beliefs reinforced.
It’s all quite evocative. And rather gorgeous.
While slightly more melancholic, ‘Butterfly Blue’ starts off from a more hopeful position and continues in that vein although tinged with sadness. In the same story the cops have identified two other possible victims. When arriving at the remote farm they find one has survived while the other has not. The music is that of the contrasting reaction of the families as they arrive at the scene.
You probably think by now that I am spouting nonsense, and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been accused of that!
But words aren’t a prerequisite in music to tell a story. Some people see colours when making or listening to it (chromesthesia, a branch of synesthesia, where senses are “wired together”).
My personal wiring chart dictates that I see drama out of a piece of music. And Nicholas & Sebastian are scriptwriters at the top of their game.
(Continues after the Spotify links)
Both songs are available now on all major streaming platforms via Nordic ID / Universal Music and are teasers for the forthcoming album ‘Atmosfera’.
Find them on:
Website (label page of company led by Nicholas Sillitoe): https://www.plusfourseven.com/nicholasandsebastian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicholasandsebastian
