Longfield & Super Skeleton, easily described as one of Norway’s most exciting live acts, have just released their third studio LP ‘Daylight, the Devil’ – a musically captivating keg of explosive and timely warning call; a call that takes human disconnection and nips it in the bud.
At a time when rock’s death has been announced for the umpteenth time; fake influencers with zero substance colorize popular culture and an abundant amount of artists wallow in quick-fixes and dispassionate convenience, Longfield & Super Skeleton (LSS) works as a wonderful counterbalance and much needed pick-me-up. LSS can be described as a DIY band; incredibly dedicated and hard-working, a band that lives and breathes for the music and the soul of rock, a group of boys and men who do absolutely everything themselves. Every. Thing.
The work on ‘Daylight, the Devil’ started less than a month after the previous LP ‘Void of Glitter / Constantly Bitter’ was released. After refurbishing the band’s studio in Gamle Slaktehuset in Haugesund, a studio built by the band themselves, they locked themselves in and threw away the key. The intense, spontaneous and shameless sound that made LSS a live band of great dimensions was going to get bigger and more powerful. “We quickly realized that we were going to be guided by impulses, with little-to-no regard for genres”, says vocalist and frontman Jarle Langåker, and continues: “The album’s been shaped by the whole band to a much greater extent than earlier. We ventured into waters we had not dared to venture into before, while at the same time retaining our most prominent characteristics”.
The responses have been swift, be it from the public or from Norwegian radio stations. A series of high-energy concerts where new songs have been tested with great success have been held; where the legendary Hulen in Bergen has to be named and famed as a memorable highlight. Samples from the album have also made their mark on the airwaves, such as the frequently played and fiercely dance-friendly ‘Parasite’ and the NRK P3 favourite ‘Suffer’, which was included in the P3 list “Best right now” and described as “100% delicious madness” by Espen Roness (NRK P3). ‘Daylight, the Devil’ is the sound of a band that has perfected and strengthened its bang-up, unpretentious and spraddle-legged rock formula, while the sound is further developed and the lyrics are clearer and more direct in their identity; on ‘Hungry Eyes’ we hear a LSS that dares to slow down the tempo, where vocalist Langåker summons his inner Jim Morrison, ‘Let Loose’ is magnetically stimulating in the interaction between confrontational guitar, bass and rhythm section, while the vocals vary between tantalizing mystery and rousing crescendos.
The albums theme is marked by thoughts of where the world is headed, and in what way we see each other as people: “the lyrics touch on egocentricity, and how ‘disconnected’ we’ve become from one another in a time where we’re initially meant to be better informed, and expected to have more ‘real-world experience’ than ever before.” explains Langåker. “The daylight has in many ways been dealt the role of the villain, and many are more than happy to live out their days behind a retouched wall on social media, while the sun shines outside in a world that is becoming increasingly predictable and less and less individual”, he concludes.
‘Daylight, the Devil’ is available on streaming platforms and vinyl right now!
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