Norway's Datarock brings some new synth pop/rock next month

Norway’s Datarock is best known for 2006 breakthrough single “Fa-Fa-Fa” and their trademark matching red tracksuits were seen in Coke and Apple ads, films like Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective, FIFA, and even in the SIMS computer game.

Now the group has a new album, Media Consumption Pyramid, due out Sept 29 via YAP Records. The single “Heart Shaped Circle” has two videos: an A.I. engineered video of morphing animation and the other celebrating love without prejudice to support their LGBTQIA+ fans. The latter video was created in response to the threats of violence that shrouded Norway's Pride Bergen during the first week of June, effectively shutting down events and striking fear within the community.

In a sense, "Heart Shaped Circle" is a dual embrace of new technology as well as acceptance and celebration of love. A.I. technology played a significant role in this project, showing us how this powerful tool is changing the cultural sector," explains frontman Fredrik Saroea. DATAROCK are embracing new changes in culture as well as the digital world and are partnering with Aldea the Center of Contemporary Art, Design and Technology.

“Heart Shaped Circle” A.I. Video: https://youtu.be/Tvy2O65D0hE

“Heart Shaped Circle” PRIDE Video: https://youtu.be/r6GmkZZYC2k

“’Heart Shaped Circle’ is an oddly joyous celebration of how life is an endless, repetitive, circular line of rights & wrongs. At the word 'go,' life is a heart-shaped circle, love is the heart-shaped circle of life," explains Saroea. 

Hearkening back to familiar '80s soundscapes and textures, "Heart Shaped Circle" is, as Fredrik explains, "a total homage to the sound of '80s icons like DEVO, Soft Cell, Bronski Beat, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, Spandau Ballet, Pet Shop Boys, and The Smiths."

The album serves as a response to local horrible tragedies for the Norwegian band. Fredrick explains, "As we were rehearsing for the 15th anniversary tour of our debut album [2005's Datarock Datarock], Covid lockdowns shut it down before it even started. So in lieu of touring, we'd kinda found back to where it all started – by getting back deep into our earliest material."

In doing so, they also were forced to mentally and emotionally revisit tragic events that occurred throughout the band's history. In 2011, the band performed in Utøya (an island in Norway) the night before 69 people where killed and 100 injured by a right-wing, terrorist. This took a massive toll on the band.

Eventually pulling out of the shroud that enveloped them, they emerged refreshed but no less affected. "Man, that got harder and harder," he replies. "The two last releases [2018's Face the Brutality and 2019's A Fool at Forty Is A Fool Indeed EP], kinda felt like an end to that chapter. With this new album, it feels like we're starting something brand new – more based on the joyous 'innocence' of the early days of DATAROCK, both creatively and in regards to letting ourselves be a bit confrontational, tongue in cheek, not taking anything to seriously, and even in regards to not allowing ourselves to be terrorized by threats."

DATAROCK is guitarist/vocalist Fredrik Saroea (Rock Steady Freddie), bassist Ketil Mosnes (Ketel One), keyboardist Thomas Larssen (T-Man), Casio-operator Stig Narve Brunstad (Stig The Mystical Casio Operator) and Kjetil Møster (Ketel Two), and drummers/percussionists Øyvind Solheim (Ike Andy) and Tarjei Strøm.

Track list:

1. "Armadillo Pt. II"

2. "Heart Shaped Circle"

3. “Metaverse"

4. “Rabbit Hole”

5. “DISCObedience”

6. “Tick Tock”

7. “Video Store”

8. “Aeon Flux”

9. “Digital Life”

10. “Armadillo Pt. II”

11. "Double Vision" (Bonus Track)