When one considers Nordic music, it’s from one extreme (ABBA, A-Ha, Roxette) or the other (Carmilla, Lordi, Mork), with artists like Ihsahn spanning the gaps with each subsequent release.
Enter Lüt, Norwegian punks relatively new to the scene but not letting anything like a generic label hem them in. Comprised of Marius James Platt, Ørjan Nyborg Myrland, Markus Danielsen Danjord, Sveinung Engvik, and Mads Erlend Ystmark, they’re described as being for fans of Kvelertak, Blood Command, and Turbonegro. For this record, they sought input from Mike (Paramore, Jimmy Eat World) Schuppan at the desk, and traveled to LA to work with Mike and Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Converge, Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein), Ariel Joshua Sivertsen (Ondt Blod, Cazadores), Markus Danjord, and Preben Sælid Andersen (Death By Unga Bunga, Hajk). An impressive credits line-up! But then, one just simply doesn’t carry the “Most Ambitious Band” label and then go it alone!
Lüt pounced on the scene in 2015 with their debut “Pandion” which quickly gained the attention of one Lars Ulrich, as well as the Norwegian Grammy academy and local radio-awards show P3 Gull. Shouted lyrics like they don’t give a shit, or they’re too pissed off at the topic (my Norwegian is a little rusty so even if I were to access the lyrics I probably wouldn’t understand them and/or I would need a translator and we know how well that works, don’t we RAMMSTEIN?!), over the top of meticulously crafted musical layers, like ‘68, 59 Times the Pain, and MYC. No wonder people’s ears stood up!
But we’re here to talk about their so-called sophomore release, which is accompanied by pictures of the band in various outfits, including army-styled camouflage, animal onesies, a ballet tutu, and a hotdog. Musically the band has added a little colour, paring the title back a bit to ease into the collection, and actually-singing in the choruses where possible, but fairly bristling throughout. These aren’t all short, sharp, loud compositions either, with only a couple of them coming in at less than 3’00”, so there’s plenty of anger here; an anger that bridges all languages with singles being added to local, German, and Kerrang radio.
Blast it from your speakers. Pump your fists. Bang your head. Get into Lüt any way you can. Sing your own lyrics, or learn Norwegian to understand what they’re angry about. And subscribe to their various platforms to learn more about what they release before the rest of the world does. Rock and Roll!! Or, as Lüt would suggest, Røck Ånd Rōll!!