Listen: Hawkon - "Dare To Follow"

13 October 2014, 09:45 | Written by Russell Thomas

(Tracks)

(Hawkon)

The wonder that is pop music continues to evolve. Here we are with one of the many new and unique components of pop's progression: a Norwegian (from Bergen) who dwells in London, called Hawkon. And he was kind enough to answer some questions I sent in an email.

"I was 15 when I first got into writing," he says. "Me and a mate made this Nirvana inspired pop/grunge album. There was this eureka moment where I actually thought I was Kurt Cobain…" Strange but true, you can definitely hear the grunge at work on his latest track "Dare To Follow Me" – at least, one of grunge's crucial elements: effects.

Yes, the track is a shoegazing affair, a phasing whirlwind of expansive euphoria founded on a glossy undercurrent of bass, filled with delayed knockings of percussion, Hawkon's voice itself crooning low and in falsetto, sometimes richly layered, sometimes solo and soaring.

It's the title track from his forthcoming debut EP, which also includes the early-90s-pop-inspired yet sludgy "Touching Air". And what can we expect? "Personal melodies with untraditional harmonies," Hawkon describes the music. "Vulnerable and dreamy. Lyrics with a story, most often a girl."

It's these continually and consistently creative ways in which people encase their feelings in music that make pop, in particular, so interesting – because ultimately these new and perhaps unconventional sounds get introduced to a large audience, become the norm, inspire more people to be creative and make music.

Hawkon's debut EP Dare To Follow Me is coming soon.