August 26th saw an outpour of candour from Norway’s hottest up-and-coming solo artist, Denim Blue, after the release of his emotionally cohesive EP, Vacation Blues.

The six-track EP runs through as an addictive amalgam of indie rock, bedroom pop and hip hop. While the instrumentals fuel the dopamine that the lyrics lament the lack of, Denim Blue ventured into unchartered emotional territory while asserting that vulnerability should be a source of growth and empowerment instead of shame.

Track 1, Brand New, exhibits the singer-songwriter’s addictively raw vocal timbre as it contrasts the angular jangle-pop melodies before Tear Me Down shifts into indie art pop melancholy.

Track 3, Field of Dreams, juxtaposes Slowdive-Esque guitars with fiery rock vocals before track 4, Down, drifts in as a hazy synth-pop outpour of ardent emotion. Track 5, Waste My Time, fills the soundscape with colourful, melodious popping melodies as the anger exacerbates in Denim Blue’s poetically scorned hip hop meets pop canter before the EP concludes on Bloom, which utilises saturated tape delay to reflect the jarring dissonance that affection can impart.

Denim Blue said:

“Vacation Blues is a short but open story. There are a few ways to interpret it as it grows darker with different stages of losing hope, love, will and identity. At the end of the EP, there's a realisation, but it’s a cyclical story; the first and last tracks have the same vocal hook with different meanings.

It is about struggling to move on, whether from heartbreak, addiction, mental health, or any other personal matter; it is up to you to decide, as the listener. I wanted it to feel familiar, almost like the inner voice that tries to speak up.”

Amelia Vandergast, the Executive Editor at A&R Factory said:

“Inner turmoil is always a field of landmines, but never has it been filled with so many efficacious hooks. Vacation Blues stands as a testament to Denim Blue’s ability to capture the confusion within the human condition while sending you deep into a state of sonic beguile.”