Snøskred announce "international debut" album, unveil video for "Lexington Hotel" [Premiere]

Following their beginnings as a shoegaze act back in 2012 which led to the release of first album Whiteout, the Riot Factory-signed Norwegians are back with a startling reinvention of style and sound which bodes extremely well for the release of Empty House on 19 February.

Made up of Karl Klaseie (vocals and guitar), Lars Ove Fossheim (vocals and guitar), Martin Hvidsten Berger (bass) and Kyrre Laastad (drums) Snøskred (Norwegian for "avalanche") cite alt-rock heavyweights Pavement, Wilco and Yo La Tengo as major influences and it's the latter pair which are to the fore on "Lexington Hotel". Singer Klaseie tells us "'Lexington Hotel' came via a dream after another late night viewing of Scarface. I was in the middle of a mobster shakedown and woke up thoroughly confused and sweaty. Three drumkits, phase-confused guitars, pitch-shifted congas, vibraphone and electric guitar clusters are intertwined to lure the listener into this dream world."

The track's skeleton is a heavy-lidded Echoplex jam in which Klaseie and Fossheim duel it out in front of languid percussion; the soporific nature of "Lexington Hotel" is pierced only by a sunny, melodic and almost country-rock chorus which lives long in the memory thanks to the guitars being brought into crisp, clear focus. The song might belong in the basement, but shafts of light sometimes grace the corners of the room, picking out billows of sparkling dust.

Empty House is self-produced by band members Karl Klaseie and Kyrre Laastad, and recorded by the band at Greener, Trondheim between June 2014 and April 2015. The tracklist is below, alongside the exclusive premiere of the video for "Lexington Hotel".

Empty House

1. Motor City
2. Matador
3. Preparations
4. Blurred Out Lights
5. Mirage
6. Lexington Hotel
7. Puzzle
8. Homeless

Empty House is out 19 February on Riot Factory