Announcing Council: Gabriel Kahane & Pekka Kuusisto Join Bedroom Community

Bedroom Community is delighted to welcome Council, the collaborative project of Gabriel Kahane and Pekka Kuusisto, to the label. Their debut single, “Panic (feat. Elizabeth Ziman)”, is out today worldwide across all streaming platforms and Bandcamp, marking the beginning of a new relationship between two artists whose restless, collaborative approach feels entirely at home within the label.

“Was it three clarinets, or a claviola?”

Written across a series of encounters and retreats between Finland and the United States, and recorded across sessions in Finland, the US, and Iceland, Council is the first recording document of a musical partnership that has been taking shape for more than a decade.

The seeds of Council were planted as early as 2015, when American singer-songwriter and composer Gabriel Kahane met Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, who promptly began quizzing him about a subtle point of orchestration on an album Gabriel had released some four years earlier. Who is this guy? Kahane said to himself. The next year, sharing a stage in Helsinki at Pekka’s invitation, Gabriel was “immediately smitten by his sound, his musicianship, his whole vibe.” A handful of long-distance collaborations followed, leading to a string of writing retreats in Finland and the United States; the project was underway.

“While I’ve always enjoyed the small size and somehow quite rich talent in Finnish music, finding a deep collaboration with someone geographically so far away, and getting to talk and write about things both very intimate and terrifying, and totally global and terrifying, is awesome.”

— Pekka Kuusisto

Kuusisto isn’t someone you’d expect to be terrified: for three decades, he’s tended a thriving international career as an orchestral soloist while serving as a vociferous champion for contemporary music (including in his capacity as artistic director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra); he’s now ascendant as a conductor, while continuing his exploration of Scandinavian trad music, electronics, and custom guitar pedals.

Meanwhile, Kahane has built a cult following for his work across musical genres, which has brought him into contact with collaborators as varied as Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens, and the San Francisco Symphony. But with Council, Kahane and Kuusisto push one another into uncharted territory.

Debut Single: “Panic (feat. Elizabeth Ziman)”

Opening single “Panic (feat. Elizabeth Ziman)” establishes the album’s central impulse:

“This is the part I’ve taught myself to leave out—
Well not anymore.”

— Lyrics from “Panic”

Those lines from “Panic,” a song that deftly sketches cycles of mental illness and abuse, lay bare the vulnerability that festers unexamined within ourselves and in the world.

The songwriting unfolded along the lines of the Lennon/McCartney model: one member captaining each tune, with both receiving equal credit. “It feels better that way,” says Kahane, “because when you write for a specific person, even if you’re responsible for notes and rhythms, your collaborator has given you access to impulses you wouldn’t have had on your own.”

Collaborative Production & In the Room

Tracking took place alongside longtime collaborator Joseph Lorge, who recorded, mixed, and co-produced the sessions.

“He’s an extraordinary presence,” says Kahane of Lorge. “Every decision he makes supports the music without ever pulling focus. And he chooses his battles so carefully that when he does take a stand, you know you need to listen.”

“Council,” adds Pekka, “is the two of us trying to make sense of a number of things by exposing vulnerable parts of ourselves to each other.”

Council’s debut single, “Panic (feat. Elizabeth Ziman)”, is out today worldwide. Full details and upcoming release plans will follow in the coming weeks.

Council Live — November 2026

• 01 Nov — Tapiola Hall, Espoo, Finland [Tickets]
• 03 Nov — Fuuga, Ateljee, Turku, Finland [Tickets]
• 04 Nov — G Livelab, Tampere, Finland [Tickets]
• 07 Nov — Southbank Centre, London, UK [Tickets]
• 08 Nov — National Concert Hall, Dublin, Ireland [Tickets]

Release Information

• Lead Single: “Panic (feat. Elizabeth Ziman)” is streaming worldwide today across all platforms and on Bandcamp.
• Credits: Essay by Daniel Johnson. Photography by Sam Gehrke. Produced by Council and Joseph Lorge.