Dating in the 21st Century is Ridiculous
Dating in the 21st Century is Ridiculous
Former NMBU students Synneva Gjelland and Maria Refsland guide us through the romance with their new album, “Dating i det 21. Århundre” (Dating in the 21st Century). The musical duo, with the same name as their first album, “Kor faen blei det av Norge?!” (Where the hell did Norway go?!), do not stop after just recording music (under their own record label, Olivia’s Records), but also fill the songs with chitchat about our time, described from a future perspective. This makes the album a worthy saga, lasting 53 minutes and 37 seconds.
Journalist: Åsne Sørlie-Nordnes
Translator: Aleksander Mæland Munkejord
Cover of the album “Dating i det 21- århundre”.
The sound consists mainly of Gjelland on the piano, Refsland on the bass, and vocals from both; but if you listen through all of the album, from “Chris Cockside” to “Da som va bra (That which was good)”, you also get to experience guitar, saxophone, trumpet, and a recorder. Inga Haugdahl Solberg and Ragnhild Bruseth also contribute, with fiddle and drums. Unrelated to the diversity of instruments, all the songs are a romantic symbiosis of folk rock and lieders. And even though the album is at its best when listened to chronologically, it is the songs like “Ærlig hit” (Honest Hit), “Lesbisk bad ass-sang" (Lesbian badass song), “Påskejenta” (Easter Girl), “Tok lua og dro” (Grabbed the hat and left”) that one (I) listens to on repeat, not the tracks with chitchat.
“Kor faen blei det av Norge?!“ is not the only musical project Gjelland and Refsland actively work on. They are both part of Sliteneliten, who played at Samfunnet this fall, and Refsland is also member of Føkkefjord, who have also entertained Ås-students fueled by alcohol. Maybe we will see more musical artist branching on Spotify over the course of the 21st century? Anyways, the future is looking bright for Gjelland and Refsland, and even though they obviously do not consider dating to be a hassle-free activity, it seems like the music production is raised to the n-th power, to put it that way.
