Asleep

"Asleep rise proudly from an English pop tradition, with a unique sound, strong vocals, and the uncompromising ambition to communicate with the audience"

- Magne Furuholmen (a-ha)

Asleep devote their time to the reinterpretation of dark melodic pop in the vein of Doves, the Smiths/Morrissey or House of Love. Indeed, from the word go, their desire has been to produce music that is second to none of their idols. A tall order, but Asleep are more than ready to put their money where their mouth is.

Asleep was born in a Grünerløkka rehearsal studio in Oslo, Norway, springtime 2005, as veteran guitarist/singer/songwriter Fredrik Christie Rødsæther, together with drummer and Mac WizKid Lars Haugen, laid down tracks for a demo showcasing the best of Fredriks extensive, but unreleased back catalogue. Having no ambitions to end up as the Norwegian White Stripes, within weeks they had hired guitarists Johan Back and Paul Arve Grønseth, with professional bass player Geir Dahle completing the Asleep line up.

Modest concrete walls soon proved to harbor a creative well and the fruits of the ensuing demo sessions reached the Oslo music scene to unanimous appraisal. It became obvious for anyone who heard their multilayered guitar sounds and string arrangements - on top of haunting melodies and razor sharp lyrics - that Asleep was no ordinary basement fad, destined for pub-gig-land.

One demo caught the ears of Oslo based EGO Records, who promptly signed the boys and sent them into state of the art Sounderground Studios for their ultimate test: to transform promising demos into an unforgettable album. No easy task. Have Asleep delivered? Dont take our word for it. One person who has heard the final result is Magne Furuholmen of a-ha. His verdict is a unique sound, strong vocals, and an uncompromising ambition to communicate with the audience. Who are we to disagree with the great Mags?

Other people lurking in the Asleep soundscape include Alex Rinde (of Norwegian pop band The Margarets) and Erik Ljunggren (formerly of industrial rockers Seigmen/ Zeromancer). Two seemingly disparate figures on the musical scene both attracted to the Asleep sound. In a way this makes perfect sense: Asleep is pop, with darker roots showing through.

So dont be fooled by the fact that the first single Be my light represents the melancholy pop side of Asleep. The debut album, released in the summer of 2006, will paint the full picture. You dont want to miss it.