By: Hope Ankney
March seems to be a month that often feels like the heavy backpack being lugged around on one’s shoulders. It’s a limbo period. It isn’t winter but it hasn’t reached the sunny disposition that spring gives, either. It’s the middleman that firmly shakes hands with warmer weather while still having ties to icy air. It’s this time of year where the brisk breeze and dark hues of the skies aren’t just felt or seen. The month of March lives within, and it conjures an, almost, restless spirit among everyone. The music industry usually behaves no differently. Most releases from the beginning of the year reflect the frigid temperatures, dropping material that might send shivers down one’s spine at first, but quickly, they become just another day of craving mother nature’s fluttering winds and golden heat. So, when an artist drops a record that drips with the pink hazes of spring sunsets, it blows straight into everyone’s soul, providing a glow and an ember where there hadn’t been. It dusts off the contentment of being stir-crazy and awakens the youthful brightness in one’s chest. It doesn’t whisper -it shouts that fresh air is coming, and it’s exactly what intertwines Sigrid’s Sucker Punch, via Petroleum Records, together.
It’s difficult to believe that 22-year-old, Norwegian, pop-go-getter Sigrid Raabe hasn’t been dropping synth-driven bangers and sonic powerhouses for years as her catalogue is so infectious and utterly sensational. Instead, Sucker Punch acts as her debut full-length record that somehow knows exactly how to encapsulate the sound of the sun while leaving just enough edge to set her apart from other generic pop-laden artists in Sigrid’s sector. She isn’t just providing a hint of spring, she’s beckoning the flowers to blossom while simultaneously showing-off an icy exterior. The juxtaposition between the flashes of red and the cool undertones of blue that makes up Sucker Punch’s essence is what gives the record its strength. Whether or not Sigrid is bruising her vocals as she gives the middle finger to industry bigwigs and shoddy boys or cheerfully singing words of gratitude towards her band and her discovery of self-empowerment, she does so in a way that taps into a creative live-wire that many seasoned veterans in the industry fail to pull-off.
This is evident from the opener, which also is the record’s namesake, that instantly throttles the sonic landscape with that 90’s-esque soaring groove. It’s refreshing and vibrant, and it feels like the first rain after a parching drought. This zest follows into “Mine right now” that plays off an 80’s-inspired foundation, leading with synths and swelling to a booming chorus. It’s too easy to see this track being played on any summer festival stage, Sigrid leading this triumphant anthem to all the hopeful youths screaming back lyrics like “Hey, it’s alright if we don’t end up together, cause you’re mine right now” as the sunset glimmers.
“Basic” is like a rollercoaster one will want to ride again and again. The musicality rides up and down before it springs ahead, full-force. Even with her relatable lyrics that discuss wanting to simplify a relationship that is way too complicated, she doesn’t allow one to get bogged down in it’s melodramatics. It’s fun. It’s catchy. And, it’s clever -especially as the bridge transitions from the studio version of the track to a voice memo of Sigrid and a lone guitar that symbolizes the stripping of the complex music and going back to the complete basics of the creation of the song.
The latter half of the record shows how brash Sigrid can be when it comes to terrible men and gatekeeping in the entertainment industry. She doesn’t sugar-coat what she’s addressing. Instead, she tackles the themes head-on, defiantly confident. “In Vain” is a grittier track that follows Sigrid’s reflection on a soured relationship. With nods to Janis Joplin, the simplistic tune blossoms to a synth driven high as Sigrid’s empowered vocals sound like a direct sneer to the subject of her wrath. Whereas “Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “Business Dinner” bark out against industry executives with “Don’t Kill My Vibe” featuring lyrics like “you shut me down, you like the control. You speak to me like I’m a child. Try to hold me down, I know the answer. I can shake it off, and you feel threatened by me” that acts like a relentless march with Sigrid’s hollers leading the crowd. While “Business Dinner” is bouncier and breezier as she sings about how the industry just wants her to be “pictures, numbers, figures.”
The highlight of the record, though, must be the closing track “Dynamite.” This is Sigrid at her rawest. “Dynamite” is a fragile, piano-driven song that the listener can tell she holds with the most conviction. It feels almost haunting as she faces the ghosts of her past, rediscovering who she is and what she stands for.
With lyrics like, “for better or for worse, hard to see that I’m bolder” and “I left my heart to be with you,” the track feels freeing, like one has journeyed with her through Sigrid’s highs and lows throughout the record, finally approaching release and reconstruction. “Dynamite” is actually the sucker punch of the album, hitting everyone in a place that feels too close for comfort.
Sigrid’s Sucker Punch isn’t just another peppy release to get lost in the void of future music drops. It’s the inhale of spring that people will be talking about and coming back to time and time again. Because to have a debut album that feels and sounds so effortlessly warm and relatable is a task that not many artists can achieve at only 22-years-old. But, Sigrid, did, and with this much electricity pumping through a record, it’s difficult to not believe that this Norwegian pop-star isn’t headed for superstar success.
