“Northerly Winds” (“Põhjast tõusvad iilid” / “Väre blest fråm norda”) is the new album by Strand … Rand, released in June 2025. This is the second album with the current line-up of Strand … Rand, which is made up of Sofia Joons, Meelika Hainsoo, Mall Ney and Robert Jürjendal.
In addition to Estonian and Swedish songs, the new album also contains songs in the coastal Swedish dialect. Several texts have been translated into both Estonian and Swedish, and Sofia and Meelika weave these songs together into a versatile and linguistic whole, while Robert and Mall help bring out the content and inner character with guitar and harmonium.

The winds have brought and the waters have carried 
people and songs
from the shores of the Baltic Sea to the shores
throughout the ages.

They still do and will carry them today.
We sing songs that have come from Sweden to Estonia
and have taken root here.

Also those that were created by coastal Swedes
– initially on their home islands and villages in Estonia,
and after World War II in Sweden,
their hearts full of homesickness.

If there were a genre called “documentary song”, Strand … Rand’s music would belong to this genre. The songs chosen for the album bear traces of the singers of these songs and their life paths – where they went, where life took them, who they met and what they felt. It doesn’t matter whether the song is by a specific author, a folk song or a pop song of its time, it is clear that these songs have been important to the performers and have helped them live. Songs can release feelings, make you laugh or help you make choices in difficult times. Songs help you to be human and remain human. They can also create delicate bonds between people, countries, times and languages. In songs – and by singing – we come together.

Sofia Joons: vocal in Swedish & Estonia-Swedish dialects & violin
Meelika Hainsoo: vocal & reading in Estonian & violin
Mall Ney: reed organ
Robert Jürjendal: guitar