Highasakite

A Norwegian band known for their moody, cinematic pop, Highasakite combine icy synths and emotional lyrics with a more organic percussive rock element. After emerging out of Trondheim in 2012 and establishing themselves with their debut, the band achieved mainstream success with their next two albums, 2014's Silent Treatment and 2016's Camp Echo, both of which reached number one on the Norwegian charts. They continued to evolve on releases like Uranium Heart (2019) and Mother (2022), staying in the Top Five while adding new textures to their sound. Highasakite returned in 2025 with their sixth album, Testament. The band formed when vocalist Ingrid Håvik met drummer Trond Bersu while studying jazz at the Trondheim Jazz Conservatory. Starting as a duo, they soon recruited producer Thomas Dahl to help out on bass and guitar, while also adding Øystein Skar to play synthesizer. Once bonded, they spent six months working on their debut album. All That Floats Will Rain was released in early 2012 by Riot Factory Records in Norway, and the tightly wound, dramatic style of indie rock on display found favor with critics. After the album's release, the band began to play live shows, adding Marte Eberson on synthesizer and Kristoffer Lo on guitar, percussion, flugabone, and tuba to fill out the sound. They played many prestigious festivals during 2012, including Øya in Norway and Iceland Airwaves. While working on a follow-up album, Highasakite turned to the U.S. market in early 2013 with the release of the In and Out of Weeks EP (which consisted of the first five songs from All That Floats Will Rain) on Propeller Records. Subsequently, they entered the studio with Norwegian producer Kåre Christoffer Vestrheim (Ida Jenshus, Katzenjammer) and recorded their second full-length, Silent Treatment, which arrived in 2014. The album was a major success in Norway, reaching number one on the pop charts and earning Highasakite a Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian equivalent of a Grammy Award) for Pop Group of the Year. In 2016, they returned with the more politically minded follow-up, Camp Echo, which featured the singles "Someone Who'll Get It" and "Golden Ticket." That same year, Highasakite performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. The non-album single "5 Million Miles" appeared in 2017, followed a year later by "Out of Order," the lead single from the band's fourth album, Uranium Heart, which was released in January 2019. It reached number four on the nation's pop chart and was followed by an arena tour. The band's next album, Mother, appeared in 2022, again making the Norwegian Top Five. Even more synth-heavy than their previous work, its dense, dramatic songs examine concepts of identity and loss. This trend continued on 2025's Testament, another cinematic and dark-hued yet resilient set that featured guest contributions from singer Miriam Bryant on the upbeat "So Cool" and Jonas Benyoub on the ballad "Chemotherapy." ~ Tim Sendra