Entrancing, Dreamy, Psychedelic

The Violent Years, a deeply underground Nordic group with only 4,123 monthly listeners on Spotify, recently released their fourth album, Blizzard/Sunshine. The five-member quintet, comprised of lead singer and guitarist Kenneth Bringdsdal, pianist Kjetil Sjolingstad, bassist Jack van der Hagen, guitarist Lars Erik Humborstad and drummer Eivind Thorsvik, came together to craft a melancholic, summertime piece, rather than the usual blaring instrumental and vocals that country is used to. 

The opening track, Heart & Soul, immediately sets listeners up for what to expect from the songs that follow with its numbing bass placing audiences in a feeling of tranquility. Although it’s not rare for country songs to sing of a past or present lover, the song’s deep bass, steady drum beat and sedate vocals set it apart from competitors by creating a more intimate feel, placing the audience in the position of Bringdsdal’s partner who’s left him, rather than just a mere listener.

Although the sonorous bass perfectly entrances fans and provides an introspective layer to the album, the insistence on similar tempos in each track presents listeners with a lack of variety, essentially leaving nothing to the imagination. Ironically, the album evokes the same feeling Bringdsdal sings about in the band’s sixth song “Garden Party,” with the album’s repetition providing no thrill, just a repetitive cycle that can grow tiring after a few listens.

Despite the consistent cadency in each song, the aforementioned “Garden Party” is undoubtedly a standout in the album, not because it provides audiences with something new, but because it encapsulates the best of the band’s uniform cadence, fully entrancing audiences in this track. The song details the lead singer’s slow fall into disenchantment with the world around him as everything feels the same, leaving him with no excitement. The typical, melancholic rhythm of the group is utilized best here as the rich bass perfectly entwines with the lyrics, numbing audiences and further cementing the notion of a humdrum daily life in our minds.

The album closes as it opens, with soothing vocals that wrap around the eardrums, and set a psychedelic, dreamlike tone. Although the album would benefit from some variation, Blizzard/Sunshine is an album that, without a doubt, excels at creating ethereal tempos that draw listeners in and fully submerges them into the band’s transcendent melodies.