Fresh and transcendent as always, Orions Belte continues to sit on the cutting edge of magnetic indie music with their latest offering and new album, Women.
The album is yet another thrilling note on the band’s proclivity for a modern and inspirational sound, with each track feeling like its own planet, orbiting as a universe for the listener to glide through.
And a track of note that caught our ear is the buoyant “Balloonfest 86.”
It’s a saucy sonic adventure with its harmonized guitar solos and reverberating vocals that build a captivating room of sound for the listener. The tune fits snug towards the end of the album as a refreshingly layered and smooth instrumental experience akin to a Khruangbin. The vocals drift in and out with harmonious dream-like dissonance, a stylistic signature of the Norwegian band’s sound.
Women is the third studio album released by the band, following Mint in 2018 and Villa Amorini in 2021. Singles like “Jai Alai” and “Night Sky” offered a delightful taste of what was to come on the final 12-track album.
Founded in Norway, the band has always pushed the envelope of their unique shoegazey indie sound. The three members (Øyvind Blomstrøm, Chris Holm, and Kim Åge Furuhaug) came together in 201,8 where they set their sights on creating music that connects. “There are some places and moments that tie people together forever, whether it be a place, a song or something you can’t quite define through words,” the band says. Their music emulates this thought process: something almost mystical you can’t quite define or put your finger on.
Aside from their sonically suave studio albums as a band, each member released solo albums alongside the band’s name in 2022. Self-titled and specialized to each member, the albums were a showcase on the variety of sound the three men bring to the band. Once these albums were released, they were put together on a 27 track LP, “Chris Holm / Øyvind Blomstrøm / Kim Åge Furuhaug.”
While the members have their own forte, the music they make together works so well because of their nuances. As Blomstrøm states, “We feel like we have a really strong connection between us. That’s why we can write stuff on the fly and record whole songs in one take and use all the parts from all three of us.”
This new album is yet another piece of evidence that Norway’s finest will continue to make strides in the world of creative and magnetic music. Currently on their North American leg of their tour, Orions Belte will soon head back to Europe to continue spreading the word of their new music.
