Copenhagen native Linn Holm is a former member of Danish alternative rock-duo The Bowdashes and has previously supported Garbage, shared the stage with Lydia Lunch, recorded and toured Europe with Nouvelle Vague and worked with Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes. LINN releases her debut extended play “Happy Metal”, which draws inspiration from motorik krautrock, future R&B and electronic lo-fi in experimental pop arrangements, often accompanied by bizarre sound effects, samples and her kids’ toy instruments,
`Frozen Pizza` opens this release and it`s a strange piece. There are guitar swathes, vocals seemingly repeated and occasional synth come odd noises shared, quite a hypnotic and trippy affair. A track that was which was recorded on an iPhone, with vocal collages with contorted guitar lines and samples of her daughter’s hedgehog accordion toy, I read later.
There`s a repetitive hypnotic beat to `Happy Metal` a composition that seems to blend hip hop and jazz beats with LINN`s dreamy almost detached vocals. LINN has related that it’s “a song about trying not to take things too seriously and being a little less pretentious.” I was reminded of Polish duo Skalpel, who blend hip hop beats, laced with samples lifted from a seam of Polish jazz records.
`Not That <3 Core` retains that jazzy feel but it has a more laid back, late night, hazy club feel to it with the vocals repeating “i`m not that hard core anymore” constantly as the song progresses.
`I’m Out Of Alcohol, You’re Out Of Your Mind` closes out this release and it begins with an acoustic guitar where you can hear the frets as the chords are changed. The quietly shard vocals seem a little remote as we enjoy a background layer of synth and some pleasing cello.
This release was a real head scratcher at times, but it did have its charm. The music can be quite minimalist at times, then full on, leaving you wondering what`s next. There`s a blend of lo-fi, leftfield pop which can be a little unnerving but overall, it`s well thought out and wonderfully quirky.
Rating 8/10
