Norway’s The Uptights are back with a scintillating new single, “Jasper,” offering a three-minute tour de force of lo-fi post-punk layered with free jazz saxophone influences. Set to be featured on their third cassette, “I Was Dreaming,” due out on October 27th, “Jasper” serves as a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come from this enigmatic Oslo-based trio.
Formed in 2010, The Uptights came together after a Japandroids show at the iconic Oslo venue, Blå. The lineup includes Øyvind Bersvendsen (drums++), Andreas Utvær Fossheim (guitar, bass, organ), and Andreas W. H. Lindvåg (vocals, guitar, bass). Their inspiration spans from lo-fi cassette bands like Guided By Voices to various music trends like emo, post-hardcore, folk, shoegaze, and post-punk.
The Uptights have always strived to create a sonic experience that transcends the traditional boundaries of genre.
Their first cassette, “At the Wörthersee Hotel” (2011), mixed atmospheric and experimental elements. By the time their sophomore album, “It Is For Them That The Lights Twinkle,” arrived in 2021, their innovative style was gaining accolades. Louderthanwar praised the album for its “strange distorted beauty,” calling it “the best well-kept secret sounds to radiate out of Norway.”
The upcoming cassette “I Was Dreaming” will mark a milestone as it completes a trilogy of dedicated amateurism and mono mixes. The record will feature new member Anders Meyn Jensen (synth, guitars), who joined the band in 2019, most notably on the album closer, “Tor Aukrust.”
The new release was recorded between 2011 and 2019 on cassette and mixed in mono by The Uptights themselves. It features artwork by Andreas Utvær Fossheim and contributions from Lisa Massahi (violin) and Halvor Meling (saxophone). The band extends thanks to Christian Obermayer for technical assistance.
To celebrate the new single, the band compiled a playlist of moody rock’n’roll and jazzy experimental music, featuring influences like Le Corbeau, The Fall, The Thing, PJ Harvey, and more. This curated list reveals the wide array of sounds that have inspired their latest work and will be posted verbatim soon.
Le Corbeau – «L’innocence revient encore / Rêve d’ivresse»
Le Corbeau is a noir/indie rock band from Norway. They were an early inspiration of ours, in particular their first two records. Le Corbeau’s music tends to defy traditional song structure, but without going all free form. And rarely at the expense of coherence and mood.
The Fall – «Repetition»
Another early influence that seeped into «Jasper». Love the attitude and guitar work.
The Thing – Aluminium
Classic dying animal saxophone by Mats Gustaffson. Ace.
PJ Harvey – «Good Fortune»
The vocal delivery and vibe are just so on point in this song. Can you hear how it inspired the rhythm guitar on «Jasper»?
Wolfram Trio – «04:20»
In 2012 we played a split show with Wolfram Trio at a small record shop and café in a residential area in downtown Stavanger. It was called Café Humbug. That is where we first heard Halvor Meling play saxophone and thought of asking him to play on «Jasper». Wolfram Trio have since disbanded, but thankfully they left us with a full-length.
The Uptights – «Norris Wallpaper Inc.»
From our first cassette, «At the Wörthersee Hotel» (2011). Kind of a proto-Jasper. The first time we hit on that kind of thing.
Charles Jolly Penrose – «The Laughing Policeman»
An enduring influence.
Ultralyd – Pink Mood
Sax and drum freakout restrained by a pretty morose sounding bass. Jasper-esque.
