FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Oslo Duo Apothek Will Fascinate You with Their Stripped Down "Waiting for the Thunder" Live Video

Director Synne Øverland Knudsen perfectly captures the Norwegian duo in a stripped-down warehouse environment.

Photo by Anna Valeur, courtesy of Apothek

Norway, I imagine, is cold. The type of place where one might have plenty of time inside to consider the inner workings of the human mind while sipping on a bitter but warming alcoholic drink. Oslo-based duo Apothek's debut single "Family" had all the hallmarks of a skewered and introverted mindset with its icy, luscious electronica and unexpected melodic turns. It was an intriguing track, difficult to place, always wriggling free before the listener could pin it down.

Advertisement

But "Waiting for the Thunder," released earlier this month, hinted at another gear for the group. Nils Martin Larsen's synthetic backdrop worked more clearly in tandem Morten Myklebust's introspective, meandering vocals and its harmonies snuck to the front of the mix.

Apothek have pushed it a step further with the live video for "…Thunder," though. Shot by director Synne Øverland Knudsen—the creative force behind Apparatet—the video captures the band in the sparse surroundings of a warehouse in their home city, a location that they say was central to the country's rave scene in the early 90s. Rather than upping the track's electronics and embracing the rave, the duo strip it of everything but its essentials, leaving only open piano chords, borderline trip-hop electronics, and Mykleburst's enquiring voice.

It's a sign that Apothek have a wide sonic range to work from, and another suggestion that the debut full-length they have planned for this year will be a fascinating listen. It's also just a damned gorgeous video. Watch the live version of 'Waiting for the Thunder' below.

Follow Alex Robert Ross on Twitter.