29 January 2015 (released)
30 January 2015
Scheduled for a March 2nd 2015 release, ‘Rockland’ sees Katzenjammer - Anne Marit Bergheim, Turid Jorgensen, Solveig Heilo and Marianne Sveen - taking on the role of primary songwriters for the first time.
“We have our own world in Katzenjammer. We never follow the rules, we’ve always done what we feel like and gone with our hearts”.
Katzenjammer are nothing if not utterly distinctive. Four smart and super-talented young Norwegian women met at music school in 2005 and have mastered a thrillingly diverse blend of country, folk, blues, pop and rock. They are all lead singers, they’re all drummers, they can all play the banjo, or the trashcans, the kazoo, the celeste or the washboard. There is no one like Katzenjammer.
“A new instrument,” Solveig says, “means a new song.”
And right now this band are writing the best songs of their career. From their earliest days being invited to play David Byrne’s personally curated stage at Bonnaroo, to supporting Keane at London’s O2 Arena, selling out two of their own headlining UK tours and having Steve Lamacq proclaim them as “the best gig of my time at Glastonbury”, Katzenjammer have always had a huge impact with their genre-mixing, instrument-swapping, full-on riotous shows.
Their 2008 debut, ‘Le Pop’, proved that they were as dangerous and fun on record as they were live, while 2011’s ‘A Kiss Before You Go’ delivered a symphonic and harmonic journey through every one of their emotions. The one constant has been that Katzenjammer do things their own sweet way in their own sweet time.
“That feeling has to be there” Marianne says. “I think of Joy Division or the Velvet Underground in that way. You don’t listen to them for technical perfection; you listen to them for their sense of creation, for their energy and emotion.”
That energy has fired this huge leap on with their third album, ‘Rockland’, marking another twist and turn in their story.
Their singular sound is driven by a deep sense of adventure and invention. The music and instrumentation may vary, but what they have created is an aesthetic which is entirely their own.
After 10 years together Katzenjammer release 3rd album ‘Rockland’ and Music-News.com were lucky enough to catch up with the girls the day after their sell out North London show.
Check out our exclusive uncut interview below.
@Katzenjammers
