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Nov 18, 2020 Sturle Dagsland By Caleb Campbell

Norwegian experimental artist Sturle Dagsland has released his latest single, “Harajuku,” premiering with Under The Radar. The experimental auteur already made waves with the release of “Kusanagi” in October as well as performing slots at SXSW and an opening slot for Big Thief. Most recently, Dagsland announced his upcoming self-titled debut record. Together with his brother Sjur, Dagsland has created a wholly unique blend of styles and instrumentation, one which combines avant-garde pop experimentation with droning intensity.

While those familiar with the titular Harajuku district in Tokyo might recall its expressive and colorful aesthetics, Dagsland creates an experience that feels darker, if equally off-beat. The use of ethereal, strained vocals, blends into a dreamlike atmosphere before giving way to addictive rushes of percussion, sweeping instrumentation, and layers of urgent overlapping vocals. Touches such as an Armenian duduk and other creative instrumental choices keep the sound fresh and fascinating. Dagsland defies expectations, refusing to stay circumscribed by traditional song structure or instrumentation, and is all the better for it. Yet, once you dig into the song, there also is an unexpected level of pop proficiency at play as the idiosyncratic elements come together for a blissful climax.

Dagsland says of the track, “After a tour in Japan we stayed for a few days near Harajuku, one of my favorite areas in Tokyo, where we ate cotton candy, met friendly dogs, collected ghost stories from old sailors and recorded music. It was during that stay the first ideas for “Harajuku” came to life. Most of the album has been recorded in Norway but we often seek out a lot of different auditive unique places around the world in order to utilize the atmosphere, acoustics, and ambiance of different environments. We have been recording at a lot of different locations for the album such as an old soviet oceanographic ship in Russia, Water reservoirs in Germany, A Lighthouse in the North-sea, high-mountain tops in Norway, and singing with a choir of 150 husky dogs in the outbacks of Greenland. When creating music we are on a constant auditive adventure.” Check out the song below and watch for the full album release on February 5th.