At one point, Andreas “Slowoff” Asingh was one of the most critically acclaimed electronic artists in Denmark, working with internationally renowned artists like Raekwon while touring the world. Eventually, life’s twist and turns took Asingh back to his roots, the Danish countryside of Mols Bjerge.
Back in 2022, Asingh met Emil Sørensen and Kristian Holbæk, two young dudes making names for themselves in the country’s underground metal scene. Although the the members of 802 weren’t an obvious creative musical match, they bonded over their desire to create a sound that meshes elements of classic heavy metal, hazy shoegazer textures and ghostly synth pop with unashamedly catchy melodies. According to the band, the 802 world is ruled musical anarchy and it’s a place for headbangers and pop lovers to unite.
The trio played their first ever show at last year’s New Colossus Festival and since then they’ve released two singles “My Girl” and “22 (Velvet Vampire)” which wound up receiving international attention as a of a result of their inclusion in award-winning horror shorts.
“1986” sees the rising Danish trio firmly cementing their sound: dense layers of crunchy, metal riffage and thunderous drumming reminiscent of Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets-era Metallica, dreamy and incredibly catchy melodies, the sort of twinkling and atmospheric synths that will remind some of alt pop and others of shoegazers like Chicago‘s Lightfoils, BLACKSTONE RNGRS, Hong Kong‘s Lucid Express and Montréal-based JOVM mainstays Bodywash paired some rousingly anthemic, raise-your-beer-in-the-air-and-shout-along worthy hooks.
1986 was a wild, complicated year: Top Gun dominated theaters. Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers were dominating the NBA. Metallica released their beloved Masters of Puppets. There was the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Challenger explosion, the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in Downtown Stockholm, and the constant threat that the Cold War would lead to nuclear annihilation. And 802’s latest single reminisces on that period while subtly pointing out that as much as things have changed, nothing much has really changed. The same sense of hope, chaos and fear is still very palpable — and extremely real.
Directed by Casper Balslev, the video turns back the clock a bit, and has the band — perhaps as time travelers — at a Copenhagen-based recording studio in 1986, recording “1986,” complete with the prerequisite cigarette smoke everywhere. The band’s drummer, acting as producer of the sessions winds up being frustrated and annoyed, screaming that things aren’t right while his assistant, rightfully thinks it rips.
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