FIRES OF DENMARK
Fires of Denmark is a sound born from the restless hands of Rochester, MN’s Michael A. Terrill. For over a decade, Terrill has been a cartographer of unseen worlds, mapping the spaces where dreams and shadows meet. What began as the raw, trembling pulse of 2h0017 (2017) grew into the neon-lit expanses of With Love (2018), then shimmered into the hypnotic drift of Relativity (2021). Each release a new layer, a new language—synths that hum like distant stars, melodies that linger like half-remembered ghosts.
Following Relativity, Fires of Denmark recorded the unreleased album Magnetism, a vibrant burst of dance-punk energy meant to celebrate a brighter chapter. The album was finished, joyful, and waiting for the right moment that never came. Instead, 2024 brought a storm of challenges—health struggles, family hardships, and a nation fractured by the election’s aftermath. So Magnetism was set aside, a lost spark in the shadows, and Terrill turned to the quiet of his guitar.
In the winter of 2024, he retreated to an Amish farmhouse in southern Minnesota, seeking solace in the stillness. There, amidst the creak of wooden floors and the sigh of winter winds, Somedays I’m a Forest (2025) took root. A raw, acoustic unraveling of a heart laid bare.
This new album is a clearing in the wild, a stripped-down odyssey of acoustic reimaginings and fresh scars, where older songs are reborn as whispers and new ones rise like smoke.
“The Zoo” traps the listener in a cage of thought, a mirror to a society too vast to escape. “Here and Now” offers a fragile sanctuary, a moment where the chaos pauses. And “Lies For Power and Profit” burns with the fury of a truth-seeker, railing against a world built on hollow promises.
With echoes of early Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Iron & Wine, and Bright Eyes, Terrill’s music is a forest floor, soft with moss, sharp with thorns, alive with the hum of something inevitable.
Fires of Denmark is more than sound; it’s a place to lose yourself, to find the pieces you didn’t know were missing. Step into the forest, and let the songs lead you home.
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Fires of Denmark Releases ‘Somedays I’m A Forest’
An Intimate Acoustic Journey Through Grief, Hope, and Reflection
Rochester, MN artist Michael A. Terrill, known for the ever evolving project Fires of Denmark, unveils Somedays I’m a Forest, the most vulnerable release in the project’s catalog. Known for cinematic synth-pop, this album trades electronics for raw acoustic intimacy, shaped during a winter retreat following his father’s fentanyl overdose, loss of friends, multiple health issues, and post-election disillusionment led to Fires of Denmark to scrap their dance punk focused landscapes for a small, intimate sound.
Written and partially recorded in an isolated farmhouse, the album reflects Terrill’s grief, resilience, and critique of societal systems. Echoing the spirit of Nick Drake, Iron & Wine, and early Bright Eyes, each track invites listeners to slow down and sit with what hurts—and what heals.
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Relativity, released in October 2021, was recorded during the group's week-long stay at a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Wisconsin. Terrill and his backing, 'The Technical Imperfections'—create a sound characterized by hypnotic beats and deep bass grooves. The album features nine tracks that offer an eclectic listening experience, filled with analogue synth slow jams meditative piano chords, and Terrill's reverb-laden vocals reflecting on the relentless passage of time.
"Michael Terrill, the musical genius behind Fires of Denmark... transitions between groovy, bass-heavy tracks and dreamy, distorted synth melodies." - 507 Magazine,
"...a on how our modern lives never allow us enough time to truly live... we are all 'living outside of time' as we adapt to life during a global pandemic." - MPR Art Hounds
"I see 'Best New... BET.'" - James Taylor, First Avenue
Written and recorded entirely by Michael Terrill in his home studio, "Interference" is one of Fires of Denmark's more abstract, and esoteric collection of songs. Interference is an album inspired by asking and searching for unanswerable many questions and deep dives into Joseph Campbell's philosophies and view on what makes a great human story. A hero's journey of searching, finding, death and rebirth.
Entirely written and recorded in his basement, “With Love” combines lyrics inspired by ancient philosophy, gritty sound and haunting bravado. Contributions from local musicians help to create a dynamic ensemble and complement the lyrics, which advocate humility and optimistic nihilism.
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2h0017 is an art project emerged after a six-year hiatus in composition, written and recorded over a single weekend. Titled 2H0017, it aimed to create a stream-of-consciousness album in just two days, with all recordings being first takes as Michael A. Terrill composed the music in time. Characterized as "the sound of waves recorded," the music emphasizes sonic landscapes rather than conventional musical structures. This 30-minute piece blends elements of chillwave, alt-rock, and folk, serving as a time capsule from a weekend in Rochester in June 2017. Each song was recorded shortly after being written, with all accompanying visuals created in one sitting. 2H0017 captures a unique moment that cannot be replicated—a heartfelt tribute to a hometown, basement daydream, and the artist's quest for validation. Fires of Denmark aims to preserve this memory and share it with those while keeping the creator behind the sounds anonymous.