Undergrünnen debut album due out 30th October
Album Release: Undergrünnen debut album
Release date: 30 October 2015
Label: Jansen Plateproduksjon
More info: Band soundcloud
In spring 2014 Per Steinar Lie (of The Low Frequency in Stereo) received a call from Haugesund prison, Norway. They needed a band to play for the inmates at very short notice or more specifically, the very next day. The only problem was that only one other member of The Low Frequency in Stereo (Ørjan Haaland) was in town. However, Pål Jackman (of Wunderkammer) had just moved back to town so Steinar Lie decided to give him a call. The next day the three of them set up their equipment at the prison, and without a single rehearsal or any clear idea of hat might happen next, they performed on stage in front of the inmates of Haugesund prison and thus Undergrünnen was born.
A year later Undergrünnen, made up of members from several of Haugesund's proudest musical exports, are ready to release their eponymous debut self-titled album. The band consists of Pål Jackman (Wunderkammer), Per Steinar Lie (The Low Frequency In Stereo, Lumen Drones) and Ørjan Haaland (The Low Frequency In Stereo, Lumen Drones), and with a fistful of kraut rock, a good dose of energy and a pinch of afrobeat, Jackman, Steiner Lie and Haaland are ready to push the boundaries of garage rock.
Undergrünnen’s debut album consists of nine tracks which all stem from jamming in the studio (with the exception of ‘Dommedag i E’, ‘Ørkesløs fryd’ and ‘Tennene i no stort’, which were all conceived in Haugesund prison in Spring 2014), boiled down to compact and catchy energy blowouts that demand movement. The album was recorded at Hauge Chess Club recording studio and was mixed in ABC Studio Etne and Broen Studio in Bergen. Mastered by Jason Emberton (Nick Cave), the end result is an impressive, cultured and energetic debut album. It is rich in detail and demonstrates the three indie veterans from Haugesunds willingness and ability to renew themselves and the rock genre within which they operate.
Explaining Undergrünnen’s characteristic sound Per Steinar (bass / backing vocals) says, “We wanted to create a very intense band based in Haugesund, with roots in both primitive rock and afro rock. Pål has played in a band from Ivory Coast and I’ve been a roadie for Andy Brown and the Storm from Zimbabwe. Our ambition is to mix the African sound with the Norwegian language. Of course we emphasize that we play a Norwegian type of afro rock, and we regard it as a mix where MC5 meets African rhythms.”