Frode Vassel — “Black Flowers”
Mid-paced rock track which doesn’t do much we haven’t heard before from the genre, bouncing along with a catchy drum beat but there’s little impact from the other instruments. It’s the lyrics which I’d like to discuss. Presumably they’re about the refusal of political and business elites to do more to mitigate the effects of climate change. Or are they? It’s so vague at times that the song could even be used by anti-vaxxer groups as an anthem. The overall package feels pedestrian to me as a a result.

Trollfest — “Dance Like a Pink Flamingo”
If trolls weren’t such a key part of Norwegian culture, I’d ask if this band was trolling us with their medley of hard rock, heavy metal (complete with a couple of grunt verses) and even a touch of glam rock. The rest result is a surprisingly fun song which doesn’t take itself too seriously and even offers some dance moves to the listener. Much as I dislike the grunt verses, the lyrical content warning of a doomsday provides a useful contrast to the deliberately cheery and trite chorus. The music goes at full throttle for the whole song, but ultimately plays second fiddle to the battle of the singers.