Razika: “Nytt Pa Nytt”
Razika might be one of the sunniest bands you’ll hear in awhile, but they don’t hail from Southern California or some tropical island. They call Norway home, a place where the winters are so cold and dark that a sunny disposition is perhaps required.
Made up of four 19-year-olds, the group formed in 2005 in Bergen over a shared appreciation of The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and Green Day. Their early music was straight-ahead punk, but as they got older they started appreciating and incorporating reggae, ska, and dance music. They’ve quickly risen through the ranks of the Bergen scene, earning opening slots for Arctic Monkeys in the process.
But they haven’t forgotten their roots. Their debut album’s title, Program 91, is an ode to the members’ birth year as well as the influential 1980s Norwegian New Wave group Program 81. And the group’s songwriter, Marie Amdam, writes for two audiences, including both Norwegian and English in her songs.
Program 91 is an upbeat mixture of ska, ’60s pop, and punk, energized by the quartet’s unbridled enthusiasm and joy. Norway might not be the first place you turn to for summer music, but Razika are changing that. Just take a listen to “Nytt Pa Nytt” below.
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