Program 91

This has to be the most obscure album I've ever reviewed on this site, this thing has 0 reviews and ONE rating??? Instagram music profiles coming in clutch, I would've never found this if it wasn't for Amber's Albums, big shout out.

So apparently, this is an album by a Norwegian(!) quartet, consisting of four 19-year old girls, who have been friends since basically kindergarten - and it was recorded on weekends, in-between school weeks.

The indie/twee pop sound of this album definitely radiates youthful energy, with its very cheerful songwriting, twangy guitars, and light vocals. The production is actually surprisingly good too - I reeeally love the soft drum sound, and the slight amount of reverb on all the songs here, it's really nice and balanced. There are moments where the vocals are weirdly quiet, but it kind of adds to the rough-around-the-edges aesthetic, and makes the project more unique in my ears.

The songwriting itself isn't super ambitious, but it gets the point across - to me, it feels very reminiscent of what Vampire Weekend were doing on their debut album, just a bit softer and less crazy. Sometimes I wish there was a little bit more experimentation, because the guitars sound very same-y across the whole tracklist and the songs can easily start blurring into one at some point in the middle - but the 34-minute length of this project doesn't really let that become a serious issue.

By the way, that closing track is absolutely beautiful, do yourself a favour and listen to it please - makes me feel all kinds of childhood nostalgia.

Some of the lyrics are in English, and some are in Norwegian, so obviously I can't really connect to the entirety of the project, but the vocal delivery is enough to keep me excited the whole way through. This album is fun, light-hearted, and it makes you wanna happily swing your legs while sitting on a short wall by a river - which is nothing less than what I'd want from a 2011 indie pop album.

Edit: DON'T LISTEN TO THE REMASTERED VERSION IT GENUINELY RUINS THE ALBUM LMAO