Herman Dune

Herman Dune returns as a solo act with Odysseús, a new chapter conceived as a journey through a life, released on June 13, 2025 by Santa Cruz Records. David Ivar, the driving force and voice of the Franco‑Swedish project, has announced a 2026 tour that will stop on March 7, 2026 at the Espace Noriac in Limoges. Founded in the late 1990s, Herman Dune built its sound between folk and country, drawing on influences from Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen to Townes Van Zandt and John Prine, while moving toward the indie‑folk of Elliott Smith, Lucinda Williams and Silver Jews. Born and raised in Paris, Ivar initially had to create his own scene at a time when singing in English with an acoustic guitar found little place in Parisian venues. Since 2015 he has been based in San Pedro, a working‑class port neighborhood of Los Angeles known for its ties to the local punk scene (Minutemen, Black Flag). He runs his label, Santa Cruz Records, and has released six recent albums within a fifteen‑album discography, including Sweet Thursday, Santa Cruz Gold, Notes From Vinegar Hill and the trilogy The Portable Herman Dune Vol. 1–3. He has also composed film scores, notably for Édouard Deluc’s Mariage à Mendoza and Pétaouchnock.