| Dark Times have raised the bar for merciless and aggressive yet catchy punk in Oslo’s underground scene over the last four years. After three EPs, the trio’s long-awaited debut album comes out this month on Sheep Chase Records. The single “Be Cool”/”I See You” from the album was released in June to great acclaim, receiving considerable radio play from some of the most important music shows on Norwegian national radio. Expectations for the album are high, and Dark Times are more available than ever - without compromising their unique sound or energetic attitude.
The band’s unpolished and direct sound is refreshingly unpretentious and powerful, something they bring to a new level with Give. Dark Times are situated somewhere between punk, noise rock, hardcore, pop and no wave. Through short and concise punk songs (“I See You”, “Control”), uplifting pop with fuzz-loaded guitars (“The Fear”, “Feel It”) and epic soundscapes of heavy bass riffs (“Give”, “Lies”), the band serves up an eclectic sound. To top this off, the vocals add dark notes and melodic elements to the traditional punk vocal.
The album was recorded in a 400-year-old old log cabin in rural Norway, where producers Pål Bredrup (Okkultokrati and Haust) and Trond Mjøen (Haraball, Haust and Mirror Lakes) brought out the necessary sonic mayhem to make the record complete.
The cover art was created by German illustrator Maren Karlson. |
