The latest single from Norwegian dreamgaze rockers MAYFLOWER MADAME, “Paint It All in Blue,” isn’t your typical studio creation. Frontman Trond Fagernes penned and recorded the guitar, bass, and vocals with a drum machine first, then added acoustic drums and synths later. This unconventional approach allowed for a level of experimentation and creative freedom that shines through in every beat and strum. The track, featuring contributions from synth maestro Kenneth Eknes and guitarist Rune Overby, is set to drop on June 25 across all digital platforms, a prelude to their highly anticipated third album, “Insight,” arriving this fall.
“Paint It All in Blue” is the follow-up to their acclaimed single “A Foretold Ecstasy,” and it wastes no time casting its spell.
With throbbing bass lines, motorik drums, and hypnotic guitars, the song’s midpoint will have you drifting in a sea of dreamy melancholia. Fagernes’ lyrics delve into themes of addiction and escapism, portraying love as a potent drug. The track’s blend of kraut-rock, post-punk, shoegaze, and neo-psychedelia offers a dynamic listening experience that unfolds layer by layer.
The band consists of Trond Fagernes (vocals, guitar, bass) and Ola J. Kyrkjeeide (drums).
The accompanying video, directed by visual artist Astrid Serck, is a visual feast that perfectly complements the song’s mood. It uses a mix of collage animations and symbolic imagery, balancing on the edge between expressionism and surrealism. The chaotic yet structured visuals echo the emotional urgency and dreamy undertones of the track, making it a mesmerizing watch.
“The music video was directed by artist-designer Astrid Serck. It’s characterized by a combination of collage animation and symbolic video imagery that visualizes the moody rhythms of the song: Partly chaotic, but somehow structured, partly liberating, but somehow imprisoning. With images reminiscent of both expressionism and surrealism, the idea was moreover to elaborate the song’s interplay between emotional urgency and hazy dreaminess,” Fagernes explains.
From their home base in Oslo, MAYFLOWER MADAME has built a reputation that stretches far beyond Norway.
Their 2016 debut album “Observed in a Dream” caught the indie music press’s attention and led to tours across Europe and North America.
Their 2020 follow-up, “Prepared for a Nightmare,” solidified their place as leaders in cinematic shoegaze psychedelia, tinged with 1980s post-punk and dark romanticism. After a pandemic-induced hiatus, the band returned in 2022 with tours in the UK, France, and Eastern Europe, and released a deluxe version of “Prepared for a Nightmare” with bonus tracks last year.
Their third album “Insight,” mixed and mastered by the renowned Maurizio Baggio, is set for release on November 1st, 2024. It will be available via their own label Night Cult Records in collaboration with Up In Her Room (UK) and Icy Cold Records (France).
“For us, our upcoming third album is both a continuation and a rupture compared to our previous releases. The signature blend of post-punk, shoegaze, and psychedelia is still there, but most essentially, we feel that it’s characterized by a new direction and a refinement of our sound. The songs are more expressive and varied and the production is sharper and clearer,” says Fagernes.
He continues, “The creative process was a bit different than what we’ve done before: I wrote and recorded the guitar and bass parts as well as the vocals with a drum machine first and then acoustic drums and synths were added later. In many instances, like “Paint It All in Blue,” the songs were written and recorded simultaneously. This enabled more experimentation and creative freedom with each instrument before adding them layer by layer. This is one of the songs on the new album that feels most special to me, also because it features contributions from my childhood friend, guitarist and founding member of the band – Rune Overby – and it marked our first collaboration since our debut album in 2016.”
“The song is inspired by feelings of obsession and escapism when you experience love as a drug, but it might be applied to any kind of addiction which makes you want to just let go and forget everything else. However, the doubt that this might not be what you need is ever-present while you also gradually realize it’s all too intense and will inevitably come to an end.”
