“REALITY” by Tlön

With Reality, released on April 11, 2025, electroacoustic duo Tlön— Sara Övinge and Gregor Riddell — announce themselves with a thirteen-track debut that defies conventional boundaries. The album is a masterclass in sonic storytelling, blending classical mastery with experimental textures to create a listening experience that is as intimate as it is otherworldly. Drawing on personal soundscapes and magical realism, Reality transports listeners into a universe where every note, every sound, becomes a narrative in itself. Sara Övinge, an award-winning violinist, and Gregor Riddell, a cellist and composer, bring decades of classical training and contemporary experimentation to Tlön. From orchestral stages across Scandinavia and London to collaborations with artists spanning from Radiohead to Hildur Guðnadóttir, their backgrounds provide the foundation for an audacious exploration of sound.

Their namesake, derived from Borges’ story Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius, signals the duo’s fascination with transforming the familiar into the surreal — a concept that underpins every composition on Reality. The album’s palette is expansive and deeply personal. Field recordings of a fetus’s heartbeat, the rhythm of a partner snoring, and the hum of a coffee machine sit alongside violin and cello lines, electronic textures, and spoken word. Ordinary sounds are reframed as emotive elements, creating compositions that feel like short stories, each layered with intimacy and wonder. Tracks such as the opener “I Don’t Wana Hear Ma Voice” and the debut single “Ultraist” immediately immerse listeners in Tlön's world, while the closing piece, “Coda,” provides a reflective, haunting resolution. Musically, Reality bridges the gap between classical discipline and experimental freedom.

Övinge’s expressive violin and Riddell’s dynamic cello interact seamlessly with abstract textures and rhythmic experimentation, creating a soundscape that is simultaneously cinematic and personal. Each track is carefully constructed to evoke recognition, curiosity, and a sense of suspended reality. Reality is a statement of intent. Tlön proves that music can transcend genres and challenge perception while remaining profoundly human. It is a debut that celebrates imagination, personal history, and the power of sound to reshape how we experience the world. With this album, Sara Övinge and Gregor Riddell invite listeners to explore a universe where reality is as malleable as melody — a place where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and music becomes story.