Virak’s debut album Threads was re-released this past Friday, May 29, on digital platforms through Forward Backwards Recordings, alongside a vinyl LP. The album is now a posthumous release from frontman, guitarist, and songwriter Martin Ejlertsen. Ejlertsen was diagnosed with ALS in September 2022 and passed away on May 23, 2026, at age 49 after a long struggle with the disease. He called Threads his final musical project before his death. Ejlertsen lived in Lund, Sweden, and leaves behind his wife and two children.
He founded Black Light White Light in 2009 and released four studio albums between 2011 and 2022. The band toured the UK and US, received coverage in CLASH Magazine, Louder Than War, Drowned in Sound, Guitar World, and Artrocker, and had airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music with Lauren Laverne, Absolute Radio, and DR.DK. On their latest album The Admirer, the track ‘Epilepsy’ stands out. Ejlertsen wrote it for his daughter, who has the condition, and it is supported by a powerful music video. The album was mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Kennie Takahashi (The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells), mastered by Matt Colton (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Thom Yorke), and features composer Davide Rossi (Coldplay, The Verve).
From 2002 to 2009, the original Virak lineup brought together Martin Ejlertsen on vocals, guitar, and keys, Christian Kühne on bass and keys, and Peter Dyring Olsen on drums. Drawing inspiration from Mogwai, Spiritualized, Low, Elbow, and Sophia, the trio crafted a distinctive blend of instrumental post-rock, slowcore, progressive rock, and seventies acid rock. Their lead single, ‘Where It All Begins,’ delves into the bittersweet emotions of releasing something that never had the chance to manifest.
With its unconventional guitar work and haunting vocals, the track stands out as one of the album’s most stirring moments, resonating with fans of Radiohead, The Strokes, or The Smashing Pumpkins. The album came to life in Copenhagen, featuring guest musicians from Under Byen, Slaraffenland, Amber, and a gospel choir. It was mixed at Alchemy Studio in London by Kenny Jones (Sophia, Bauhaus/The Smiths) and newly mastered for this edition by Grammy-nominated JJ Golden (Black Pumas). The 2004 EP But Not As We Know It, co-produced by Signe Høirup Wille-Jørgensen, is also available digitally for the first time.
Before his ALS diagnosis, Ejlertsen was an elite football player and cyclist, and he toured throughout Europe, the United States, and Canada. His legacy continues through his family and this reissue. As pioneers in psychedelic rock, Virak will likely inspire new generations of bands and artists to pay tribute through their own music.
Martin Ejlertsen had this to say: “I have been very private about my illness… it has been like a long waking nightmare. But now I probably only have a few months left to live, so it’s about making the best of the last. Having this album project has given me some light in an otherwise completely dark and very depressing time.”
Stream Threads:
Threads Album Tracklist:
1. Little Creeps
2. Souls
3. Who I Am = You
4. Something Strange Happened As We Stood By The Lake
5. Arms Raised
6. Desert Storm
7. Butterfly
8. Violence
9. Melancholia
10. Song Of Everything
11. Where It All Begins
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