Following up the #1 Indie Disko Top40 ‘Femme Fatalle’, the new track is a fantastic song that feeds the nostalgic hunger for 80s post-punk tunes while still sounding fresh and contemporary to newer generations.
Permafrost is a ground that continuously remains below 0°C (32°F) for two or more years. Coming originally from Norway, one might think that the band name is a reference to their homeland, or perhaps a prophecy about the long hibernations the band took, but the truth is that the name was simply taken from a Magazine song, one of the influences, along with Joy Division, The Cure, Talking Heads, Pere Ubu, Yello, Fad Gadget, The Residents, Wire and Wolfgang Press, that led school friends Frode Heggdal Larsen and Kåre Steinsbu follow their inspirations and, back in 1982, form a band.
The first incarnation of Permafrost was a lo-fi affair, but their songs were intricate and uniquely structured, and heavily influenced by Norwegian authors Knut Hamsun and Jens Bjørneboe. This cultured sound brought them respect from their older peers, who were mostly playing in punk bands. Despite only being able to play private shows due to their age, the band started to gain an audience and released the ‘Godtment’ EP on a limited edition of 50 numbered cassettes. But, by the mid-eighties, after a few line-up changes, Permafrost decided to enter their first hibernation.
Alternating briefs revivals in 1992 and 2001 and hibernation periods, the band started to become more and more awake with the arrival of new collaborators: Robert Robert Heggdal & Trond Tornes joined Frode and Kåre in 2001 leading to the recording of new demos.
Another hiatus ensued, but the band finally came together again in 2016. The band book a session at Braund Studios in Brooklyn and the ‘Permafrost EP’ was recorded. Upon returning to Europe, looking for a manager, the band got more than was bargaining for, as Tront got his friend Daryl Bamonte, who worked before with Depeche Mode and The Cure, both as manager and keyboard player, Permafrost mk3 was formed!
The ‘Permafrost EP’ was released on vinyl-only in the spring of 2019, and after mostly working remotely from Oslo, Trondheim and London, the band is putting the finishing touches on the debut album. The first single, the critically-acclaimed ‘Femme Fatale’, was released on 18th February 2021 and reached #1 on the Indie Disko Top40 chart as well as top 5 on the Deutsche Alternative and Native25 charts. Complemented by the band’s own ‘Dark North Remix’, it was added to numerous playlists, including Apple Music’s ‘New In Rock’.
They are now following up with the stunning new single ‘Closed Eyes’, a fantastic song that feeds the nostalgic hunger for 80s post-punk tunes while still sounding fresh and contemporary to newer generations. The track was again produced by Permafrost and mixed by indie-veteran Paul Corkett (The Cure, Placebo, Nick Cave) and will be released on 7th June 2021 on the band’s own Fear of Music label.
Liked? Share!
Related news: