Onsloow’s return is about everything that’s unspoken, enduring, and bittersweet in life’s quieter moments. Their sophomore album Full Speed Anywhere Else seems to have grown from the depths of personal experience, infused with a sense of time passing, connections evolving, and friendships persisting through the weight of everyday life.
With the release set for October 25th, Onsloow takes another step forward, balancing vibrant power-pop energy with deeper emotional layers, and today we’re stoked to give it a unique spin with the band’s top 12 song inspirations for their sound.
After their self-titled debut in 2022, Onsloow quickly made a mark on the indie scene in Norway, performing at festivals and earning praise across the board.
Yet, as real life crept in, with members juggling families, studies, and jobs, their once-buzzing momentum slowed down.
But this break didn’t spell the end—it allowed them to regroup and reflect on their direction. Two years of hard work later, Full Speed Anywhere Else emerged, signaling a fresh, ambitious chapter for the band.
Onsloow’s first new single from the record, Taxi, is a mid-tempo anthem exploring the quiet sacrifices made in friendship.
The song’s message is universal—the small, unspoken acts of care we offer to those we love, a nod to the exhaustion and reward of simply being there.
It’s the kind of track that takes its time, mirroring the patience and quiet understanding found in long-lasting relationships. Helene Brunæs, who recently joined as the new vocalist, brings warmth to the track, embodying the essence of this unspoken connection.
The second single, “Brakes,” takes the emotional core of the album and wraps it in a tighter, punchier package.
As the band shared, the track channels the frustration and nostalgia of looking back on a relationship—those fleeting moments where you struggle to recall the intensity of past emotions.
It’s a song that drives forward, powered by a late ’90s indie rock and emocore influence, but with Onsloow’s unique twist. The energy is great, with a melodic undercurrent that keeps things moving while the lyrics wrestle with the tension between memory and feeling.
“Brakes” captures that bittersweet balance between emotional depth and the raw, kinetic sound that the band continues to refine.
Brunæs, already making waves with her work in Lille Venn and shared tours with stars like Sigrid, fits effortlessly into Onsloow’s universe of jangly pop guitars and driving drums.
Her vocals breathe life into the band’s mix of catchy, energetic pop-punk with hints of post-rock crescendos. This new lineup signals a natural evolution for Onsloow, blending genres while still holding true to the core of their sound.
Full Speed Anywhere Else isn’t a simple repeat of the debut—it’s richer, more thoughtful, and textured. The band’s time in the studio with producer Marius Ergo saw them focus heavily on details, allowing the album to break away from any preconceptions. Tracks like Body Parts showcase this shift in sound, adding a country-tinged vibe reminiscent of Built to Spill and Modest Mouse, further expanding their sonic palette without losing their signature power-pop charm.
Beyond the core band, Onsloow has pulled in a host of collaborators, giving the album a unique and layered feel, including pop mastermind Truls on vocals, drummer Eirik Kirkemyr (Dråpe, Flight Mode), Gjermund Jappeé on lap steel (Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson, The Formative Years), Ivar Bowitz (Cold Mailman) on synth/keys, and multi-instrumentalist and producer Marius Ergo on guitars and synth.
Tiny Engines, known for championing indie and emo acts like Tigers Jaw and Illuminati Hotties, saw the potential and brought Onsloow on board for this release.
As the anticipation for the album builds, the band shared a playlist of 12 songs that helped shape Full Speed Anywhere Else.
The Anniversary – “All Things Ordinary”
The whole album “Designing a Nervous Breakdown” is such a huge inspiration for us! Heart on sleeve lyrics, fantastic melodies and a unique sound that really stood the test of time. The Anniversary mastered that bittersweet feeling of youth slipping away, something we can relate to in our music, and songs like “All Things Ordinary” still hit us like a lightning bolt of nostalgia. Love it!
Wild Nothing – “Golden Haze”
Those early Wild Nothing recordings just have that vibe. This track floats with shimmering guitars, a steady beat and a bass line that just goes! Jack Tatum’s song writing actually inspired us in solving some of the mid tempo stuff on our album, reminding us to let our music breathe and find beauty in simplicity.
The Cars – “Just What I Needed”
An absolute classic, and it’s just impossible to wrap our heads around the fact that this song is 46 years old! Timeless stuff, with an iconic groove that inspired the rest of us, including the band Onsloow on their single “Taxi”.
The Casket Lottery – “Midway”
Our drummer Morten showed up in rehearsal one day wanting a song who sounded kind of like this one (“The drumming on this record is crazy good!”). The one we ended up writing didn’t sound like this at all, even though we tried, haha.
The Smiths – “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”
The best riff of all time? Johnny Marr’s guitar playing is a recurring theme everytime we discuss music and songwriting, ‘cause it’s just so damn good. The guitars on this one are particularly enchanting, and definitely a huge inspiration simply by existing. What an album closer! We actually had a plan on covering this one live, but never got around to do it.
Oso Oso – “great big beaches”
Speaking of guitars, we really wanted a warmer, cleaner tone on this album, something we feel Oso Oso really managed on our favourite album by them: The Yunahon Mixtape. A lot of good tunes on this one, like “great big beaches” which also have a really intriguing song structure. And Jades vocals really stands out from the crowd. One of our favourite bands from the revival, still crushing it!
The Get Up Kids – “Anne Arbour”
The Get Up Kids are kind of like our happy place. Anything from Four Minute Mile, Something To Write Home About or the EP’s from that era gets us going! Anne Arbour is such a massive song in all its modesty, with a pulsating beat, great vocals, catchy melodies and with twists and turns throwing the song into new places all the time, reaching new highs. “We need a song like “Anne Arbour”” is a real quote working on this album. Don’t think we managed just that, even though we tried! Great song.
Fountains of Wayne – “Amity Gardens”
Oh man Adam Schlesinger really knew how to write a good song, and he made it sound so easy! The way the verse flows on “Amity Garden”, and how the melody sounds familiar yet original at the same time is something we’ve always admired. A perfect song from a perfect record.
Pinegrove – “Angelina”
As mentioned earlier we wanted a somewhat cleaner, warmer production on this album, also adding piano and acoustic guitars to our sound. In addition, our new album includes some country and americana influences here and there, like on our third single “Body Parts”. Could it be that we’ve been listening too much to Pinegrove? Possibly..
The Jazz June – “Viva La Speed Metal”
Let’s speed things up! The Jazz June is second wave royalty, and “Viva La Speed Metal” is packed with infectious energy and unpredictable shifts. This song reminds us to have fun with the music and experiment with structure. Their album “The Medicine” should be up there with “Frame & Canvas” and “Nothing Feels Good” btw. Great stuff.
Crying – “Wool in the Wash”
Never forget Crying. They were only around for a brief time, but made a huge impact on us with a bunch of catchy, playful songs with great vocals and a somewhat sense of humour in their arrangements. “Wool in the Wash” is probably our favourite, and the hook appearing at the one minute mark makes this song a COMPLETE earworm. Never forget Crying!
Great Grandpa – “Bloom”
We’ve been listening so much to this album it almost feels imberrassing. On Four Of Arrows everything is next level, from the production to the arrangements to how all the songs combined forms this higher unit or something and how it feels extremely impressive, but still kind very down to earth and earnest. And it’s packed with hits, like “Bloom”. Great Grandpa just returned with a new song btw, and it’s the best I’ve heard all year. Stunning.
