Copenhagen music

When Saints Go Machine: “Chainsaw”

There’s probably a big chunk of Texas choosing not to think about the word “saints” after last weekend. But even Cowboys fans can agree that a quality chainsaw is a great way to start carving into the weekend. I mean, chainsaws have been a state pride since 1974, right?

So if you’re overdue for some Danish pop, dig into When Saints Go Machine. Throughout all their pop trials, the Copenhagen three-piece has kept from getting cornered in any one sub-style, be it classic club, hip-hop, or post-punk. But a dip into their discography quickly tips you off to one consistency; what these Danes have been doing for a decade and a half now is a strictly digital endeavor.

That in mind, this morning WSGM hit the world with somewhat of a surprise: the trio’s introductory experiment in acoustic equipment. Alongside “Trying”, which is a real trip of its own, “Chainsaw” comes off awfully organic compared with all the project’s prior outings. But somewhere between the liminal, strobing solitude of its visuals and the fresh perspective on WSGM’s secret formulas, it almost feels like a sin for Saints to have waited this long to “get real” with it.

Glas: “Hungry Moon”

We often think of glass as fragile, delicate, a superficial separation from whatever’s on the other side. Yet glass can only come from an intensive process, and can be tempered to withstand extreme duress. And that latter association seems to speak a lot more to Copenhagen pair Lisbet Fritze and Louise Foo, better known as Glas.Both members of this Denmark duo started off in the early-to-mid-2010s pop noir outfit Giana Factory, before Fritze began providing vocals and guitar for electronic sensation Trentemøller while Foo joined forces with her sister to form the avant-garde pop project SØSTR. Now, ten years after Giana Factory’s final single, Foo and Fritze have reunited for the transparent display of alt-pop talent that is Glas.Glas shared their first single “Melting Point” last Fall, and followed it up with “Midnight Fay” in mid-January. And today, just a month away from their debut Trentemøller-produced full-length Kisses Like Feathers, Glas has graced us with “Hungry Moon”. Phasing between the opening guitar chords that sound like a bleaker, modern take on “Pictures of Matchstick Men”, pristinely-polished vocal harmonies that float above brilliantly spacious drums and cave-like keys, plus a climactic dive into distortion that tapers off into static, “Hungry Moon” will instantly sate any alt-pop appetite.

Looney Gloomers: “Faking Paintings”

Whether it’s an overblown urban legend or merely a misunderstood statistic, here in the states, the month between Thanksgiving and the New Year is often thought as one of the toughest, emotionally. So we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind those who are struggling that there are resources readily available to you, all around the globe. Even the most secure folks ought to have tunes and tools close at hand rather than let a wintertime sense of doom continue to loom over their head, which leads us to Looney Gloomers.

This London-and-Copenhagen quartet hasn’t been around for too long, but in the short time since sharing their debut single last summer, Looney Gloomers has kept a steady leg up on the competition. That’s in-part thanks to the four-piece’s fearless candor about life’s less-glamorous moments; song titles like “Pleasent Panic”, “Shit on My Wall”, and “Cheer for Me” showed up on their 2021 debut full-length House of Dying Days, offering several catchy pieces of solidarity under duress. Aside from depicting an honest portrait of life exactly as is, HoDD also highlighted Looney Gloomers sonic versatility with eleven originals that lilted between lighthearted and lugubrious.

If you were to put an umbrella label on Looney Gloomers, indie rock seems like a good suit. But as heard on their EP Sunny Day Off earlier this month, the group isn’t afraid to explore depths of proto-punk and alt-pop either. So we’ll expect that same balance for their upcoming eight-track, Between Good Friends, out next Wednesday. Far from an art forgery, this morning Looney Gloomers gave us BGF‘s lead single, “Faking Paintings”. Inspired by all-too-relatable bouts with insomnia and other late-night afflictions, “Faking Paintings” is a jimp junction of rowdy rock and inner doubt that winds up from subtle indie-pop dynamics straight into a double-time punk eruption.

School of X: “Race For Caress”

Like hundreds of other international musicians, rising Copenhagen-based producer-drummer Rasmus Littauer was eager to showcase his music during SXSW 2020…but you know what happened. So instead of putting his debut album as School of X, Armlock, on display in the Live Music Capital, the pandemic allowed Littauer to tap deep into his own psyche and begin shaping School of X’s sophomore curriculum.

Aptly-titled Dancing Through the Void, School of X’s new LP totes an even more refined sound than its predecessor and further proves Littauer’s competence as a principal of indie pop. Dancing Through the Void drops September 24th, and with classes back in session any day now (at least here in the states) it’s best to check the syllabus early with School of X’s latest single, “Race For Caress”!