Listen: Sondre Lerche - Summer In Reverse (ft CHAI)

photo by Tonje Thilesen

 

As the release of Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche's first ever double album Avatars of Love approaches, the artist's tenth full length studio album, Lerche's choice of singles have revealed a rather eclectic album - from the feat of longform songwriting of "Dead of the Night", the art pop of "Cut", Lerche's latest, a collaboration with Japan's CHAI, finds Lerche returning to the summery Brazil-pop reminiscent stylings that he's most known for. Sonically recalling Pleasure standout "Serenading In The Trenches due in part to drummer Dave Heilman's start-stop snare, Lerche's latest single is a beguiling contender for a song of the summer even as Lerche name-drops each subsequent season - the track is playful both in its interplay between Lerche and Heilman, and Lerche's lightly self-effacing lyrics. Lerche's love songs tend to favor grandeur - easily feeling like they can anchor climatic scenes in a movie romance but here, Lerche's take is a tad-bit more grounded and slightly humorous as he details the mundane - snacking on leftovers from a party, sorting through your tax receipts, as a contrast to the incredibly vibrant feelings of love and infatuation. Those feelings are still very present, mind you, in the technicolor shades of Kato Ådland's programmed string flourishes. "Summer In Reverse" is essentially about expectation - Lerche pines for a love for all seasons not just the freshness of a new love. "We should get together every summer and make each other miserable all Fall, can you only love me in the Summer or never at all?" Lerche asks. And despite the quippy nature of it, it's a sincere ask - can you love me in harsher seasons than the bright, fun-filled summer? Than the first stage of enamoration? 

 

Sondre Lerche's tenth full length studio album, the double album Avatars of Love is out April 1st. You can pre-order the either physical or digital versions of the album now.

Listen: Sondre Lerche - "Dead of The Night"

photo by Tonje Thilesen

 

Around the time of his 2014 album Please, Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche essentially abandoned his established songwriting formula - writing about 20 songs between records before narrowing them down in pursuit of somewhat continuous form of songwriting that where each album kind of feed into each other. The result was Please, Pleasure, and Patience, a series of records that form a sort of loose trilogy but feature songs that were all developed sometime in the seven years between Lerche's self-titled sixth album and the end of the last year's Patience. While covid lockdowns forced many bands/artists to essentially buckle down and explore new methods of music making and music sharing, Lerche was fortunate enough to be able to return to his native Norway where he was able to both tour rather extensively as well as work on new music with his regular collaborators. "Dead of the Night", the first single from what fans can all assume is a forthcoming album, is a taste of Lerche's Norwegian return. Clocking in at 10 mins long, it eclipses the album ender "Things You Call Fate" from his debut Faces Down as his longest track, while also continuing an ongoing trend of Lerche taking his pop sensibilities and using them to explore long form songwriting. 

 

"Dead of Night" slowly unfurls, Lerche taking listeners on a detailed tour of feelings felt and experiences experienced in the late night hours. Much like "Why Would I Let You Go", Lerche's aim is largely narrative, not necessarily in hooks or choruses and "Dead of the Night" is a smörgåsbord of verses - though not without its share of quasi-hooks. It's a song that nods to the themes of Please, Pleasure, and Patience without really indulging in them itself; for every mention of the body, of pleasures sought, rejected, or indulged, there's a forward momentum that carries you through - they're merely landmarks on scenic ride Lerche's embarking on. Lerche essentially takes his greatest strengths - his ability to craft incredibly relatable songs and his succinctness while doing so and flips them on their head - it's Lerche at his most narratively exploratory and his least committed to traditional song structures - instead offering up a lyrical fantasia that still taps into the visceral. "We're living in the dead of night in the hope that we might inspire another ending", Lerche croons, and even among its expansive sprawl, among its numerous twists and bends, still manages a concise encapsulation of the song's true takeaway.

Sondre Lerche's latest single "Dead of The Night" is out now.

Listen/Watch: Softcore untd. - "Sjansespill"

When Softcore untd.'s name started popping up in the periphery of my musical consciousness earlier this year, I made a mental note to remember the name and investigate later as I had a strange sense of familiarity before I'd ever gotten around to press play. Chalking it up due just to the fact that the Bergen music scene isn't particular ginormous, it turns out that the reason for the familiar was due to the core duo behind Norwegian rock outfit Verdensrommet  Andreas Høvset and Vetle Junker make up the newly minted quartet consisting of Emir Hindic aka Onge Sushimane of Bergen hip hop duo Sushi x Kobe, Oslo based producer Mathias Humlen aka FAKETHIAS, as well as Høvset and Junker.

Considering their past two collaborations with Hindic "Aldri idjen" and "Du vet det kan gå feil", their team up with Hindic and Humlen isn't too much of a stretch. But while Hindic's contribution were folded into the membrane of what Verdensrommet, Softcore untd is an entirely different beast: an strange and wonderful fusion of influences and sounds into something that really never quite falls into any of those categories. Softcore untd. finds the foursome's various backgrounds converging at a delicate nexus point. Humlen's atmospheric tapestries and penchant for beats meets Hindic's melodic flow and both Høvset and Lunker's instrumental capabilities, with Høvset's vocal ability and Lunker's dazzling production talents. 

The most thrilling thing about "Sjansespill", the third in a series of tracks released by the foursome, is that you don't really need to understand Norwegian to regard it as an amazing song. Roughly translated as "game of chance", "Sjansespill" is both a piece of absolutely skilled production and emotive songcraft. Though lyrically, the song recalls the sometimes precarious nature of first impressions with Hindic and Høvset trading vocal duties to describe their influences, that's not really required to have an emotional reaction to the song. The deliveries of their individual verses as well as the growled choruses capture both restlessness and helplessness that the song seesaws between. Despite the fatalism of Hindic and Høvset's vocals "Sjansespill" exists in a place both hopeful and resigned. Everything's a game of chance, the right sequence of words, the right sense of timing, there's not really much to control besides making yourself available to those chances. Without the lyrics as a guide, the song impressively illustrates that sort of emotional tug-of-war. The instrumentals consist of bright flashes of guitar and warm electronics, pulsing percussion, sense of ease and fluidity of composition that's largely unimpeded by the rougher, more raw vocals from Hindic and Høvset. They contrast but in a complementary way like boulders in a stream.  

With it's propulsive forward momentum and effortlessly stacked layering "Sjansespill" is remarkably different than their foursome's previous efforts and demonstrates a ridiculous learning curve. "Skolebenken" and "Fjern" were slower tempo affairs where the stitches of the quartet's Frankenstein assortment of skills showed a bit but "Sjansespill", with it's range of cultivated sounds from hip hop to dream pop, rock and dance music, streamlines them into a feat of production and idea synthesis that hints at more fruitful collaborations. Here's hoping there's more in store but considering both the distance involved in the Bergen/Oslo artist collaboration as well as what's sure to be a busy year for each of the artist's individual projects that might take awhile. But considering Softcore untd. was essentially started when the four all converged on the Norwegian music festival circuit anything is possible and any song as great as "Sjansespill" is well worth the wait.

   

"Sjansespill" is available as a digital single in the US on Cascine and worldwide via Norway's Eget Selskap.

Pitstop: Great News

Considering that such a sizable chunk of my favorite music discoveries come from artists/bands whose music I already love, I should hardly have been surprised to stumble upon yet another and yet, my introduction to Bergen "daze pop" trio Great News indirectly through the heartfelt congratulations on the release of their debut album Wonderfault from fellow Norwegian rockers Young Dreams still came as a bit of one.

Listening to the band's singles "Wonderfault", "Never Get My Love" and definite album standout "Told", it's easy to see why they would appear to Young Dreams as well as most fans of good music. With bright, vibrant melodies and just the right amount of fuzz, Great News combine elements of traditional pop and psychedelic rock into a infectious blend. Despite the trio's pretty standard guitar-bass-drum set up, the band manage to pretty impressively convey an unmistakable 80s synth pop influence among their host of others in classic and psych rock not unlike bands The War On Drugs, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, or early Tame Impala. With Ole Einarsen's locked in bass grooves, Even Kjelby's angular guitar and vocals melodies, the subtlest hint of synthy effects, and fullness in sound, it's hard to imagine that the band's debut was recorded and produced by the trio themselves but that's very much the case. But the album is deceptively polished despite the band's DIY aesthetic and their wealth of influences doesn't betray the band's own sense of originally and growth from their early singles. Wonderfault is a strong debut from a band very comfortable in their own skin and ardently pursuing the sounds the want. 





Great News' debut full length album Wonderfault is out now on Norwegian label Eget Selskap. But you can nab it from all the standard digital music retailers. Stream the album below:

Listen: Young Dreams - "My Brain On Love"

Much of the career of Norwegian pop rockers Young Dreams both before and after their stunningly great debut Between Places has been trying to achieve an artful balance of boundary-pushing and leaning into the pop sounds that inspire them. On Between Places, it resulted in a sprawling, lush work of beguiling symphonic pop. Much of Young Dreams' work after has been much more experimental, chasing melodies or ideas that appeal to them while attempting to inhabit them in a way that feels real. There's no denying that the current trend in pop music has influenced producer Matias Tellez. From "Of This City" to "Sinner (I'm Sorry)" to "My Brain On Love", the second single from their upcoming sophomore effort Waves 2 You, the touch of autotune is all the proof you need of that.

"My Brain On Love" functions as a bridge of sorts between these two versions of Young Dreams. Where "Cells" introduced a much more sustainable form of electronic experimentalism and incorporating influences than the much more R&B reminiscent standalone singles, "My Brain On Love" rectifies Tellez's production talents with the band's knack for winsome melodies as well as their shifting genre proclivities. Young Dreams have never particularly been a band beholden to the notion of genre even though Between Places often ended up at the chamber pop/symphonic rock end of the spectrum but the band know their way both around trippy psychedelics and full-bodied synths and "My Brain On Love" relies more on these than anything. It's a song that undergoes a great deal of metamorphosis from its autotune laden intro to its more straightforward clear-cut melodies that bop along to sprightly grooves to an unexpected bit of distortion,, the band tackle these various moving parts with casual ease. 



Young Dreams' sophomore full length record Waves 2 You is out January 12th on their own Blanca Records. You can pre-order the record now through their Bandcamp.

Listen/Watch: Young Dreams - "Cells"

Though it was essentially an salvaged outtake from their abandoned sophomore full length record, "Of The City" hinted at a brand new direction from the orchestral pop sextet Young Dreams. Though it made use of organs and strings, there was a reliance on synths and they were utilized far differently than they were on the band's debut Between Places. And when they released r&b tinged single "Sinner (I'm Sorry)" earlier this year, the potential direction of their new album was once again up in the air.

"Cells" however finds the band at a sound that is perhaps far more sustainable for a full record. Another indicator that the band has largely left behind the symphonic layering that defined much of their debut, instead "Cells" finds Young Dreams drawing closer to those psych rock grooves that inspired them do a Tame Impala rework. But unlike "Sinner", the musical direction doesn't seem as far of a leap away from their original sound than it ends up being. "Cells" certainly doesn't lack for experimentation but elaborates more on the band's previous ventures in tropicalia and psychedelica. "Cells" is a laid back soak in the sun very in line with Young Dreams' normal sun-kissed musical escapism but is much more than a traipse down Young Dreams sounds past. Much like how the titual "Young Dreams"/"Flight 376" and "Expectations"/"Dream alone, wake together" singles informed the direction of Between Places, those same building blocks serve as a sort of alternate timeline here. One that relies more on the band's immediately presentable skills than in Matias Tellez's incredible production talents. Not that Tellez's production is missing on "Cells" but unlike "Sinner" and even "Of The City", they're reigned in and honed in a bit more. Though Tellez utilizes a number of percussive effects and samples as well as synths, they're treated with a lighter touch than the previous singles. Also Rune Vandaskog's vocals remain largely untouched by effects unlike the persistent autotune that they were run through before.

"Cells" is a picture of a subtler Young Dreams. Where Between Places captured these incredible emotional reflections and paired them with grand arrangements and intricate layers, "Cells" finds a bit of a balance between what the band can accomplish live and what works in the studio. It's the first song (and potentially the only one that'll actually be on the upcoming sophomore record) that you can actually imagine the band playing live even as it dips into it's electronic moments. 

"Cells" is an incredibly catchy work of pristinely plotted psych-infused pop and one that highlights just what makes Young Dreams work so well as a unit. They don't need orchestral flourishes to define them; what they have instead is an tight-knit precision and a pursuit of sounds and colors that make their hometown of Bergen sound a little brighter.

Watch the lyric video for "Cells":


Young Dreams' sophomore full length record Waves 2 You is out January 12 via their own Blanca Records. You can pre-order the album now through their new Bandcamp page.



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Listen: Sondre Lerche - "Siamese Twin" (Solo)

Earlier this year Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche played a special set at Pete's Candy Store where we played the songs of his newest record Pleasure. It was unknown to many of the attendees until after but earlier that day Lerche had cut live pressing of solo versions he would be performing later that night with Leesta Vall. It allowed fans to hear Pleasure in a brand new light as several of the songs shone more brightly or revealed more of their secrets in a stripped down context.

Though it was in line with his previous An Evening With concerts that he had performed before touring behind Pleasure in earnest, it was the first time many fans had to hear him play certain songs solo as he mostly stuck to older songs and the occasional post-Pleasure tune for the intimate series. Apparently he liked the idea and this Black Friday, Sondre Lerche will be releasing a limited edition pink vinyl of stripped down appropriately called Solo Pleasure.

If you weren't lucky enough to either be in New York for the Pete's show (which he also livestreamed), you can now hear what that might've sounded like before the album's November 24th release with "Siamese Twin". One of Pleasure's most straightforward and sultry cuts, solo the track still retains most of what makes it work so well on the record. It's a downtempo moment where Lerche gives listeners a break from the confusion, hurt, uncertainty that opens much of Pleasure and luxuriates in the simple feeling of a connection made. Considering much of Pleasure is obsessed with the body, it's a moment that balances both that and the cerebral as Lerche never really reveals his hand on it. It's not exactly established if it's an actual pursuit or merely a proposition. A thought that either is or isn't acted upon. And stripped of the various effects Lerche and producer Matias Tellez threw on it and essentially sung entirely straight, it's maybe more titillating because Lerche doesn't assume this character he does on the original recording/record. If anything, the solo version highlights how much the original isn't just about sex but about the pursuit or the desire to pursue a deeper connection with someone that you feel can or could complete you. 



The album will only be available on Black Friday RSD so make sure you check this list of participating Record Store Day stores and head on out to grab it.

Listen: Living - "Calyx"

While Living, the project of Norwegian producer Lucas de Almeida, has largely defined their sound as dream grooves, their latest offering "Calyx" is probably the grooviest of their songs thus far. That's not to say that they've haven't been living up to their self-descriptor in their past releases. Much of their self-titled EP leaned far more heavily into the dreamier aspect of their sound while the singles releases since then "Glory" and "Path" have certainly galvanized their sound in an astounding way. But "Calyx", the newest of their previously standalone singles that the foursome will compiled into their debut full length album, hits peak groove. Not quite electro-funk, the song is begins with noodling synths but when the guitar riff enters at around 2 minutes in, there's a shift unlike any other Living track. Lucas de Almeida also immerses the track in darker textures than fans of the band have come to expect. "Calyx" uses samples from a previously unfinished song of de Almeida's but given new context - a full band and new ideas for sounds and textures, de Almeida was able to breath new life into it and transform it into not only a strong outing for Living but one of de Almeida's favorites so far.

Living's debut EP was good but if the band continue to exceed their potential with better and better songs like "Path" and now "Calyx", their debut full length album Absolutely will be an absolutely amazing ride. I can't wait to hear what other tricks the band have up their sleeve. Until then listen to new single "Calyx":



Living's debut full length album Absolutely is set for a 2018 releases. Stay tuned for more details.

Listen: Living - "Path"

photo by Øystein Grutle Haara

Since releasing their first singles several years ago Living has gone from the moniker of Bergen based producer Lucas de Almeida into a full on full band endeavor. More so than on their debut self-titled EP new single "Path" is an explosion of their immersive tropical dream pop. Where de Almeida saw fit to sort of luxuriate in kaleidoscopic sound baths previous, "Path" kicks the energy levels up a notch as the track blasts off from it's very first note. The slow steady sprawl of songs like "Florahedron" and "Cerulean" are instead imbued with a forward momentum that's nothing short of breathtaking.

Living's songs are no less complex but it's beautiful music moments come at you faster and the band consisting of Sturla Kvernerg, Nora Tårnesvik, and new edition James Kalinoski of Flesh Prince makes the most of their live energy. The foursome harnessed this in previous single "Glory" and it's certainly good news that see that wasn't a fluke. The project has evolved considerably in the past two years or so and "Path" is a good indicator of what the band can sound like when it's firing on all cylinders. Hopefully the intricate nature of their song composition doesn't mean we have too long to wait before more Living tunes surface but in the meantime "Path" is more than worthy of a heavy amount of repeat listens.



If you haven't, listen to Living's previous single "Glory" released earlier this year and you can check out their brilliant self-titled EP via their bandcamp here.

Listen/Watch: Sondre Lerche - "Serenading In The Trenches"

While Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche may have fast-tracked his upcoming eight album Pleasure, he certainly hasn't slowed down any of the press around it. "Serenading In The Trenches" is the fifth single from the album and the second single he's releasing in a week and it's easily a highlight of the album. In his other Pleasure cuts, Lerche's examined his emotional state post-divorce in a myriad of ways: "I'm Always Watching You" dealt with more or less immediate aftershocks and subsequent obsession and checking in to make sure one person wasn't better off than the other. "Soft Feelings" saw Lerche wrestling with his newfound freedom as well as a sort of creeping sense of guilt about possibly being able to move on. "Violent Game" tapped into a well of anger and resentment that Lerche's largely avoided. It was flashy and confrontational; biting but also fluctuated between reality and fantasy much like when you're imagining all the cool comebacks you could've said long after an argument is over. "Serenading In The Trenches" leans pretty heavily into Lerche's subconscious. It's practically all metaphor from it's first lyrics: "Thought I saw you at the finish line/ And you burning a flag and you biding your time.". From its very opening lyric Lerche's on the defensive against his would-be aggressor. Lerche's all about flight and disarmament  and that says a lot not only about his emotional state but his personality in general. Lerche's a lover not fighter and approaches acts of hostile aggression, real or metaphorical, with sort of a resolved calm of a negotiator. Perhaps more so than any other Pleasure track we've heard so far, "Serenading In The Trenches" is the most cerebral despite it's assortment of action words and phrases. It's an olive branch; an attempt to mollify. "Do you want to make love instead?" Lerche croons and it couldn't be more fitting.

The music video directed by Evan Savitt, the same force behind Lerche's trilogy of Please videos, applies that source of sexuality and contention to probably the strongest relationship Lerche has post breakup: his friendship with drummer Dave Heilman. Operating at a similar level of narrative vagueness and dives into the surreal as the videos for "I'm Always Watching You" and "Soft Feelings", "Serenading In The Trenches" is essentially an ode to platonic male friendship with Lerche and Heilman as its subjects. At times playful, at times bristling with an almost guilt inspiring sensuality, Lerche explores masculinity by casting Heilman and himself in a number of roles: friends, brothers, lovers, man, woman. The borders of identity are as blurry as they are rapidly interchangeable. From its opening where clearly female hands are readying Lerche for a shave before a jump cut finds them replaced with Heilman's, Savitt and Lerche base the relationships in dream-like fluidity and adjustable amounts of narrative clarity.



Sondre Lerche's eight studio album Pleasure is out now and is available through most digital retailers with physical editions available through Oslo based distributor Tiger Records.

Sondre Lerche - Pleasure (2017)

If you had told me that the young songwriter behind 2001 debut Faces Down would grow up to release an album like Pleasure, I wouldn't have believed you. Not because I would have thought him incapable but because I couldn't possibly imagine the leap in sound it would take to get from point A to point B. But year after year and with album after album Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche has been incrementally pushing his sound in invigorating new directions that have made such an evolution possible. Pleasure is as much an album about Lerche's personal growth as it is his artistic one. It's an album rooted both in past influences, inspirations, and experiences; his present realizations, and future hopes and desires. Lerche, who grew up with a healthy diet of 80s pop and Brazilian tropicalia, has existed at sort of the nexus point of those influences without allowing his sound and vision to be too reminiscent of either. The ability to dilute what makes those influences so interesting and incorporate them without merely imitating them has been as much of a strength as his sincere, universal songwriting. Right around the time Lerche returned with his raucous, rebellious Phantom Punch, that spirit of experimentalism became a constant that paved the way for the surreal-minded art pop of Pleasure.

While Please was unabashedly a breakup album both honestly detailing and at times eluding the breakdown of his marriage and eventual divorce, his follow up Pleasure is a bit of a different beast. Beginning with his Talking Heads channeling album opener "Soft Feelings", Lerche's synthier side is at his peak and his lyrics blur the lines between what is real and what is imagined; the personal and the broad. It's unsurprisingly that three years and an album later, his divorce would still be a fruitful narrative well and yet "Soft Feelings" attempts to put some distance between him and it; exploring life in the metaphorical hereafter of unexpected singledom as Lerche wrestles with lingering feelings of both hope and resentment. It's a seesaw between trying to move on and realizing not enough time may have passed and it might never be enough to completely erase those feelings. "I can't will into motion impossible things/I can't promise devotion or make a bell unring" Lerche sings in one of the song many shifting sections and it's an excellent encapsulation not only of the song's thesis statement but where Lerche might be at the end of Please and the start of Pleasure.

"I'm Always Watching You" follows and its selection as the album's first single is incredibly obvious in the context of the album. A post-break up song lyrically based on how easy it is to keep tabs on exes with the advent of social media, it's also a song that's not as directly tied to Lerche's personal experiences. It's universally applicable, incredibly catchy and rooted in the same 80's synthpop that initiates the album to make its unflattering portrayal of obsession incredibly palatable. It's also the listener's first indication that Lerche is striving for realism not necessarily truth on Pleasure. "I'm Always Watching You" ensures a song like its successor "Serenading In The Trenches" is cohesive even if it's narrative metaphors are less plausibly rooted in actual events.

On Pleasure, Lerche not only references his influences like new wave and synth pop on the aforementioned "Soft Feelings" and "I'm Always Watching You" but he also references himself. Though lyrically very different "Serenading In The Trenches" recalls "Crickets" with it's stuttering drum line. While melodically "Bleeding Out Into The Blue" calls to mind both "Ricochet" and "When The River" from his self titled  and "Reminisce" resembles "Lucifer" with it's tropical pop springiness. There's also "Hello Stranger" which resembles Antonio Carlos Jobim standard "Águas de Março" in Lerche's lyrical delivery while also quoting one of Lerche's strongest influencers Prefab Sprout.  Lerche also derives influence from modern music doing his best D'Angelo in the funky album ender "Baby Come To Me".

Pleasure is much more than a trot through Sondre Lerche's greatest hits and those of his predecessors however. Compositionally, it's his most complex and scenic work to date. Lerche's continuous efforts to subvert traditional songwriting structure are fully realized here resulting in dramatic shifting sections like "Soft Feelings" or "Hello Stranger". Lerche offers up golden musical moments like throwaways and it makes them all the more precious and enviable since Lerche proceeds through much of Pleasure like there's more and more unexpected phrases and ideas where that came. It's a confidence that leads itself well towards the sultry croons "I Know Something That's Gonna Break Your Heart" or "Siamese Twin" and grounds the multi-faceted musical portraiture of Pleasure.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Pleasure is how very little Lerche's guitar factors into it. It's a bold move inline with Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak eschewing guitar for synths on Shriek. Lerche is no multi-instrumentalist: his specialty and only instrument, aside from his voice, is guitar and so the shift is certainly unexpected. But it addition to highlighting Lerche's songwriting capabilities to their fullest, it also spotlights Lerche's trusted collaborators - his live band: drummer Dave Heilman, bassist Chris Holm, Europe tour band member Alexander von Mehren, producer Matias Tellez as well as longtime producer Kato Ådland who does much of the record's programming. It's a record that relies on the talents of others for it's most winsome moments. Take "Violent Game", a remnant from Please that features Lerche prominently on guitar but needed to be recorded live in studio to produce a cut that Lerche felt album worthy. Lerche has often approached studio recording as the antithesis to the more lonely art of songwriting so the presence of his friends and collaborators is not entirely new. It's just far more obvious when Lerche has elected to bench his instrument of choice.

While a breakup nevermind a divorce isn't exactly something you get over overnight, Pleasure shows that there's more to Lerche than that. Lerche's always been a genuine songwriter and love has been his most rewarding topic. Pleasure indicates that Lerche has no intention of letting disappointment and heartbreak alter his whole worldview nor his most reliable topic of songs. Lerche is even poppier, even dancier than he was on Please and it succeeds much for the same reasons Lerche set out to do with Please: it's a record rooted in the personal that refuses to let itself wallow. Lerche's sincerity isn't a question but for all his wry allusions to failed relationships and the like, there's an endearing push to move on; to explore what else is out there. To dust himself off, to learn and grow as well as to make sense of his feelings and the world around him by building visceral scenes of emotional theatre and knocking them down. Please make have dressed up Lerche's heartbreak in slick dance-y dressings that might've seemed a little like denial but Pleasure is an indicator that not only is all well but that Lerche is capable of reaching brand new creative heights.





Sondre Lerche's eighth full length studio album Pleasure is out March 3rd on his own PLZ Records. You can pre-order the album now. 

Listen: Sondre Lerche - "Violent Game"

It's a story as old as time: you go to see one of your favorite bands/artists on tour supporting their latest album and they unveil a new song. It's good. So good. But you know you'll have to wait until it's officially released. So you wait. And see them each time they blow into town hoping they'll play it to tide you over. That's essentially what happened with Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche's latest single "Violent Game", the exception of course being that he unveiled "Violent Game" during his first and only CMJ set in 2013, recorded and released Please the following September in 2014, and released the one-off Despite The Night EP the following year. It appeared on neither release. It felt like Lerche was torturing me but the real reason "Violent Game" never made it on a release despite being a fully completed song was firstly that it didn't fit with what Lerche was trying to do with Please and also because a studio version of the song that he liked eluded him. So what happened differently that "Violent Game" ended up on his forthcoming record Pleasure? He recorded the song live in studio with his trusted live band.

"Violent Game" is so markedly different from the first two singles "I'm Always Watching You" and "Soft Feelings" that it's almost immediately obvious why he's withheld it until now. "I'm Always Watching You" pines, "Soft Feelings" looks forward, both push his sound in bold new directions by looking to the past. "Violent Game", like it's name suggests, is Lerche's rallying song. It's quintessential Lerche with it's bossa nova recalling chord structure and emollient charm. But much like his live album Bootlegs, it reveals a fiercer, scrappier Lerche than his more polished studio counterpart this side of Phantom Punch. And while Lerche's lyricism has been trending towards blending the lines between Lerche's id impulses and his Nordic charm, capturing "Violent Game" live does a better job of capturing the intensity. The depiction of moving on in "Soft Feelings" was largely introspective and pleasant, "Violent Game" has no such intentions. "Done tearing out my hair, I wanna tear you up/Done running from the sun, I wanna run you down." Lerche croons before the band surges forward to accompany his winning directness. Much like "Soft Feeling" there's a toss and turn but where Lerche veered between hopefulness and guilt, "Violent Game" is rooted in the visceral. Lerche has the upperhad here unlike the pleading "Soft Feelings". The shifts play with that dynamic; Lerche's dominant and the lines blur between anger and lusty with a dose of the fantastic and the surreal. As Please demonstrated even at his lowest Lerche is a lover not a fighter and "Violent Game" seeks romance even if it's a fevered, flawed one.

It's a set piece for both Lerche and band as they go absolutely balls to the wall and Lerche does more with his guitar in 7 minutes than some bands do on an album and it's hard to imagine how you can possibly follow up such a firestarter but "Violent Game" is only the penultimate song on the album. There's more to follow. And Lerche wrote pretty much an album's worth of material after it. I'm certainly glad Lerche eventually found a home for it as it's one of his most enjoyable songs and one that ostensibly bridges the gap between Lerche's self-titled, Please and Pleasure.



Sondre Lerche's eight studio album Pleasure is now out March 3rd. He's currently on tour so you can find out when he's coming your way as well as pre-order the record here.

Listen/Watch: Sondre Lerche - "Soft Feelings"

Despite pretty much confirming it would be out this year and naming his upcoming world tour after it, Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche has managed to evade revealing any of the actual details of Pleasure, his follow up to his 2014 album Please. Last year we got a taste of the album witth first single "I'm Always Watching You" and today with the release of second single "Soft Feelings", Lerche's actually letting loose the rest of the details surrounding the album: namely it's release date in April that coincides right with his Brooklyn date of the Pleasure tour.

A title like "Soft Feelings" sort of registers as almost a self-parody for Lerche who's made a career of incredibly earnest pop music and yet, the fact that he largely avoided dwelling in sentimentality of his breakup record Please should be a proper indication that "Soft Feelings" is going to be more than you expect. It follows right in line with "I'm Always Watching You" with it's sort of throwback synth pop vibe while putting his characteristic touch of it.

Perhaps more so than Please, "Soft Feelings" and by extension Pleasure grapples with subconscious desires bubbling to the surface. "I'm Always Watching You" and "Soft Feelings" feeling like logical (or illogical) extensions of the id-fueled "Bad Law". Lerche's writing on "Soft Feelings" is all push and pull, statement and restatement as he amends verses and choruses for their next uttering. "Since the spirit left my soul, love is but an open hole" Lerche initially croons and it seems like he's ready to finally let his music mourn his lost love before he continues "but the body's come alive/since the spirit left my side". And on the return of this particular verse, enough time has passed that Lerche's course corrects: "since the spirit came on board/love has begged to be explored". Lerche's essentially at odds with himself: open to the idea of love, wary of it, but not cynical about it and ultimately inviting of its return. Much like much of Please, Lerche's dressed up his universally applicable wrestling with matters of the heart to a fun upbeat dance pop jam.



The video shot by Johannes Greve Muskat in Los Angeles captures the vintage feel and continues with Lerche's surrealist spree. But unlike "Bad Law" or "I'm Always Watching You" where the plots eventually piece themselves together the video for "Soft Feelings" has no great desire to do so. There's a cast of characters besides Lerche including Ary and How To Dress Well's Tom Krell who never reveal their intentions or true purpose. Responding to Lerche's needs both lyrically and unsung as Lerche essentially embarks on a grander version of "Bad Law"'s bender and "Sentimentalist"'s cleansing swim. The video for "Soft Feelings" succeeds based purely on grounding the visual experience with glimpses of Lerche's vulnerability. The why becomes unimportant when filtered through Lerche's reactions to the myriad stimuli.

Sondre Lerche's upcoming eight full length record Pleasure is out April 14th.

Listen: Sondre Lerche - "I'm Always Watching You Too"

Earlier this Fall Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche released "I'm Always Watching You" a single meant to tide fans over until more news on Lerche's follow up to Please was available. While details are still forthcoming, Lerche's serving up another single. "I'm Always Watching You Too" takes after Lerche's most recent Despite The Night EP and Please remixes except in this case Lerche's the one doing the remixing. The remix/rework pairs down many of the overt poppyness of "I'm Always Watching You" and dials up the electronic experimentalism. Lerche's vocals get digitized on the verses while the changes to the choruses are peak Lerche with their skyward reaching vocal flourishes. Considering the song's subject matter of post-relationship digital voyeurism, Lerche's choice to emphasize the electronic elements is a logical step and his touch delightfully light. Rather than making any changes to the song's structure, Lerche instead merely takes the song from day to night, the bright pop melodies dimmed and slipped into more sensual dressings.



Sondre Lerche's new album Pleasure will be out next year. He's celebrating the album by returning to a more rigorous touring schedule next year. Check the dates here.

Listen/Watch: Sondre Lerche - "I'm Always Watching You"

After the released of his latest full length album Please, Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche set out to work on its follow up. It was certainly a hard record to top: a break up record that never quite lets itself behave like the typical break up record. Several songs were omitted like "Despite The Night" which sort of focus on a different narrative than one Lerche was striving for and that along with a newfound love of dance music found many of the album's singles given the remix treatment as well "Despite The Night" being bundled together with several different remixes of the song which was a sort of remix of itself. But the party was soon over and Lerche isolated himself to get back to work on a new set of tunes. "I'm Always Watching You" is our first taste of what the new batch will possibly sound like and it's an interesting step for Lerche.

Lerche's always been able to spin deeply relateable tales of love even at its most intense (see Duper Sessions for Lerche's most deeply felt love songs) but Please's "Bad Law" was the first time Lerche really highlighted the dark side of that intensity. The fact that it was Lerche as his danciest was a surefire distraction. "I'm Always Watching You" continues more in that vein. Lerche does his best 80's send up as he put his charming spin on cyber-stalking. We've all done it. Whether its checking in to see how an ex is doing because you're curious or vindictive or still very much in love with them or the harmless bit of research you do when you're interested in someone new. Lerche's with you and he's made an anthem for it. And yet even to him, the darkness inherent in that behavior is apparent and he just goes for it.

The video directed by Johannes Greve Muskat plays like a thriller with hints and nudges towards it's twist without ever really beating you over the head with its reveal. In fact, its original shot of Lerche shot in soft light with kind eyes only for the color to drain and his gaze intensifies and he focuses in on the object of his obsession does a hell of a lot of storytelling in its simple change of tone. The rest of the video essentially chases that narrative lead - the sequence broken up with flashes of its conclusion occurring while you watch Lerche pine and his intended get increasingly bolder. It follows the format of the song's own twist as the chorus switches from "I'm always watching" to "I know you're watching". Lerche doesn't let himself off easy noting the questionable healthiness of his digital voyeurism.

The most exciting thing about "I'm Always Watching You" is not only does it ground itself in real experience but much like "Bad Law" it opens up Lerche's narrative capabilities and his storytelling options. Lerche's the narrator but these tales take up a life of their own where you can distance Lerche himself as the protagonist. After releasing probably one of the most personal records of his career, it's certainly a prospect that bound to be creatively reinvigorating. Sondre Lerche refused to wallow on Please and now, he's perfectly content with exploring material that might be at odds with his nice guy image. I can't wait to see where that revelation leads. Until then "I'm Always Watching You":

Listen: Living - "Risen"

photo by Simen Peder Aksnes Aarli

After being introduced to Living, the Norwegian pop trio helmed by producer Lucas de Almeida, earlier this year I've been eagerly awaiting their promised new single. "Cerulean" was a bath of warm dream pop that recalled both fellow Norwegians Young Dreams and balmy chamber pop of Los Angeles' Princeton in equal measure. I was hooked. And now after much waiting, the trio are offering up another new track as well as news of an EP planned for October. So the wait begins anew.

The first thing you notice about Living's new single "Risen", aside from its tabla samples, is it takes the sense of patient ease of Living's previous output and really doubles down on it. Aside from occasionally pairing things down to just the tabla, "Risen" luxuriates in its own vibrant, layered melodies. For the majority of its nearly six minute run time there's a sprawling sense of ad infinitum; waves crashing along the shore without need for conclusion. Its build toward its climax is subtle as Lucas de Almeida does a few laps around the pool before kicking things up a notch: his swelling vocals ultimately ushering in tabla-less coda. "Risen" is Living at their most subdued; almost balladic as they trade its infectious pop hooks for experimentalism and emotion. While "Florahedron" and "Cerulean" featured a sort of call-and-response with the self as well as significant instrumental breaks, "Risen" relies largely on its vocals to set its course.



Living's fourth single "Risen" is out now on Brilliance Records.

Listen/Watch: Living x Habitat For Etheric Felines - "World's Room"

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of being introduced to the tropical-infused psych pop sounds of Bergen based producer Lucas de Almeida's project Living. They have relatively little amount of music to their name, but it explores a sort of delightful music escapism constructed with  deft hand. de Almeida filling out the ranks to transform the band into a trio and their most recent journey to SXSW bodes well for their future, they've most recently released a collaboration with Habitat for Etheric Felines, a Philadelphia based artist collective, that they've been working on for quite some time and answers a question I was sure to have somewhere down the road - what would Living sound like outside of their elected pop template? The result, World's Room, is a self-described audiovisual adventure featuring 25 minutes of music composed by Living. So until Living gear up to release more new music (they are currently on their debut US tour in the Pacific Northwest), this is a worthwhile pitstop.

Listen: AURORA - "Conqueror"

After the success of her first single "Awakening" brought her enough attention to lure her to CMJ in 2014, Norwegian singer/songwriter Aurora Aksnes has certainly made the most of that momentum. Last year saw not only the release of her first record - the four song Running With The Wolves EP but also several singles ("Runaway", "Half the World Away", "Murder Song (5,4, 3,2,1))" that's attracted more and more attention from the likes of fellow Norwegian Sondre Lerche to even Katy Perry. And yet AURORA hasn't ever seemed in any particular rush to release anything which is exactly why the announcement of her debut album All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend is such a treat. It's the culmination of years of hard work for Aksnes and her band if first single "Conqueror" is any indication, they're in strong form.

"Conqueror" follows in the footsteps of "Under Stars", the rare "happy" song among Aksnes' darker folk pop tales. If AURORA have their eyes set on the pop realm, "Conqueror" hits that anthemic pop sweet spot. A happier effort than say "Runaway" or "Murder Song", Aksnes still manages to draw from the negative to craft her exhilaratingly infectious gem. "I've been looking for the conqueror but you don't seem to come my way" Aksnes offers and each time it reoccurs the seeming disappointment of that phrase becomes more freeing aided no doubt by the escalating energy. It's a subtly layered work with a heart-swelling sound and message that proves AURORA are growing into unstoppable popsmiths.



AURORA's debut full lengh All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend is out March 11th on Glassnote.

Listen: Sondre Lerche - "Despite the Night (Megamix)"

While hard at work on his follow up to last year's brilliant Please, Sondre Lerche understands the need to occasionally whet his fan's appetites. Ahead of his upcoming summer tour both in the US and in his native Norway, Lerche's dipping back into his unreleased song archives and combining one of his more recent tracks with his new-found enjoy of the all-mighty remix.

"Despite the Night",  a Please-era cutting room casualty, follows in the footsteps of party pop break up barnstormers "Bad Law" and "Legends" with its breezy melodies and effortless delivery masks an underlying disquiet. And yet despite its occasional dance-it-out vibe, "Despite the Night" finds Lerche more on the upswing than the shell-shocked and ruminating nature of most Please cuts. While Lerche avoided the tropes of your typical breakup record, its not hard to see why Lerche considered "Despite the Night" to be thematic inappropriate for the rest of that collection. There's a little too much light at the  end of the tunnel - "Despite the Night" plays off of serendipity and that feeling of uncertainty; but also new beginnings. "Despite the Night" is cautiously optimistic but also unabashedly fun. Maybe not to the point of "Bad Law" but it's a song that can be enjoyed based on Lerche' pop songcraft alone without the analysis of where Lerche's at emotionally in regards to the rest of Please. Distance will do that to you and something tells me Lerche's planned it just so.



Sondre Lerche's Despite the Night EP is out May 22nd and features a Trans-Atlantic smorgasbord of remixes from Bryce Hackford, Fancy Colors, Niilas, Stockhaus. Dates for Lerche's upcoming tour available for your perusal here.

Listen: AURORA - "Running With The Wolves"

photo by Kenny Mckracken

After nearly a half year between her debut "Awakening" and second single "Under Stars" Norwegian singer/songwriter Aurora Aksnes aka AURORA is thankfully releasing songs with far more consistency. After beginning the year with "Runaway" AURORA announced her first official release: the Running With the Wolves EP. The title track of her forthcoming Glassnote Records debut continues the artful blend of Aksnes' folk-inspired narrative lyricism and grandiose pop choruses with just the right touch of synth tone exploration.

Similarly to "Awakening" and "Under Stars" "Running With The Wolves" relishes in its momental buildups toward expectation-shattering grandeur. But unlike past singles with utilizes a sort of trapdoor reveal, "Running With the Wolves" reaches its climaxes with a wave-like fluidity. AURORA's casual glide into stratospheric choruses are just as gradual as its descent from them. It's a subtle back and forth that speaks to the musicianship of those Aksnes has chosen to surround herself with; able to push and pull along with her intensity without distracting from Aksnes' twinkling vocals.



AURORA's Running With The Wolves EP is out now on Glassnote Records.