· By Mattias Forsgren
Lazy Queen kick off 2023 with reflective new single “4th contact", Out 26th January via Icons Creating Evil Art
Following on from their successful showcase weekend at by:Larm in their Oslo hometown in September, Norwegian-New York punks Lazy Queen are back to their reflective selves for 2023, demonstrating their talent for introspection on new single “4th Contact”. Appearing alongside previous releases “Option To Nothing” and “243 New, Moon”, the new single is taken from their forthcoming EP “Growing Pains” (out April 14 2023 via Icons Creating Evil Art).
As Lazy Queen return to their long-time collaborator Morten Øby for the new record, there’s a dramatic shift from the impulsiveness on “Option To Nothing” as “4th Contact” softly paces through a renewed sense of self-awareness with electronic flourishes appearing as a guiding light. Explaining “4th Contact” in more detail, Henrik García Søberg says:
- “What I’ve come to learn through the past year is that growth is extremes - it’s contrast and duality. It’s healing and pain all in one. So with this period of change and growth for us as individuals and as a group being the catalyst for the writing of Growing Pains as a whole, it makes a lot of sense to me that it materialised in both the hardest and softest song we’ve done in a while. ‘Option To Nothing’ being the former and ‘4th Contact’ being the latter."
In late 2022, Lazy Queen announced their new EP “Growing Pains” would be released on Friday 14th April 2023 via Icons Creating Evil Art. Upon announcement, Henrik explains
“There have been a lot of significant life changes in the time since we wrote and released “A Human Reaction” earlier this year, and I’ve had to really think about who I am and what I wanted from my music and the band, and that whole process started as we began piecing Growing Pains together. It’s been a process of being forced to look frustration, depletion and self-doubt straight in the eye until you find a way out or around it.”
The release of previous singles “Option To Nothing” and “243 New, Moon” saw Lazy Queen capture the attention of BBC Radio 6Music, BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders. At press, these two singles made their mark as Lazy Queen debuted on Kerrang Magazine’s K! Chart and earned continued support from Rock Sound, Distorted Sound, Louder Than War.
As Lazy Queen return to their long-time collaborator Morten Øby for the new record, there’s a dramatic shift from the impulsiveness on “Option To Nothing” as “4th Contact” softly paces through a renewed sense of self-awareness with electronic flourishes appearing as a guiding light. Explaining “4th Contact” in more detail, Henrik García Søberg says:
- “What I’ve come to learn through the past year is that growth is extremes - it’s contrast and duality. It’s healing and pain all in one. So with this period of change and growth for us as individuals and as a group being the catalyst for the writing of Growing Pains as a whole, it makes a lot of sense to me that it materialised in both the hardest and softest song we’ve done in a while. ‘Option To Nothing’ being the former and ‘4th Contact’ being the latter."
In late 2022, Lazy Queen announced their new EP “Growing Pains” would be released on Friday 14th April 2023 via Icons Creating Evil Art. Upon announcement, Henrik explains
“There have been a lot of significant life changes in the time since we wrote and released “A Human Reaction” earlier this year, and I’ve had to really think about who I am and what I wanted from my music and the band, and that whole process started as we began piecing Growing Pains together. It’s been a process of being forced to look frustration, depletion and self-doubt straight in the eye until you find a way out or around it.”
The release of previous singles “Option To Nothing” and “243 New, Moon” saw Lazy Queen capture the attention of BBC Radio 6Music, BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders. At press, these two singles made their mark as Lazy Queen debuted on Kerrang Magazine’s K! Chart and earned continued support from Rock Sound, Distorted Sound, Louder Than War.
A couple of years back Lazy Queen entered the Norwegian music scene as a blast of fresh air, making the move from New York, where Colombian-Norwegian Henrik García Søberg founded the band. Fast forward to now, the Oslo-based band have embraced the new decade with an ever-evolving attitude of acceptance, perseverance and survival, creating an effervescent soundtrack along their journey. With an instinctive ear for melody and a uniquely intuitive sense of identity, Lazy Queen effortlessly weaves harmonic and discordant elements together that transform into a rich soundscape of bouncy yet jagged poignancy when the band comes together to complete the jigsaw puzzle of each track. Like CLASH puts it, “their penchant for bouncy, punk-infused electro-pop allows them to deliver poignancy with a sprinkle of sugar”. It’s immediate. It’s urgent. It impatiently demands your attention.
It’s no surprise then that Lazy Queen’s ingenuity has been praised by fans and music outlets all over the world. Lazy Queen have three storming EPs under their belt; 2019’s “A Sigh So Deep”, 2021’s “Get Home Or Die Trying”, and 2022's “A Human Reaction” - the latter released on Swedish tastemaker label Icons Creating Evil Art. Beloved singles such as “Bed/Head” and “Alcohol” received spins from Norway’s own P3, UK’s BBC Introducing Networks as well as BBC Radio 1’s Future Alternative show with Jack Saunders, prompting the following response "This band feels like such a rare discovery…it doesn't feel like a carbon copy, it doesn't feel like they're trying to be anyone else but themselves”. The band has received huge praise across the board with press from Kerrang! to CLASH, Rolling Stone France to Rock Sound, Visions DE to Louder Than War. On top of this, Lazy Queen have lauded across digital streaming platforms, recognised by Spotify playlists: Fresh Finds Global, New Music Friday Norway, The Punk List, All New Rock, 100% Rock, Rock idag and Rock ei ole kuollut and many more, as well as Apple Music’s New Music Daily, The New Rock and Flesh Blood.
Lazy Queen are: Henrik García Søberg (vocals/guitar/bass/keys - they/them), Petter Enger Anderdal (guitar/bass - he/him), and Jørgen Apeness (drums/keys - he/him)
It’s no surprise then that Lazy Queen’s ingenuity has been praised by fans and music outlets all over the world. Lazy Queen have three storming EPs under their belt; 2019’s “A Sigh So Deep”, 2021’s “Get Home Or Die Trying”, and 2022's “A Human Reaction” - the latter released on Swedish tastemaker label Icons Creating Evil Art. Beloved singles such as “Bed/Head” and “Alcohol” received spins from Norway’s own P3, UK’s BBC Introducing Networks as well as BBC Radio 1’s Future Alternative show with Jack Saunders, prompting the following response "This band feels like such a rare discovery…it doesn't feel like a carbon copy, it doesn't feel like they're trying to be anyone else but themselves”. The band has received huge praise across the board with press from Kerrang! to CLASH, Rolling Stone France to Rock Sound, Visions DE to Louder Than War. On top of this, Lazy Queen have lauded across digital streaming platforms, recognised by Spotify playlists: Fresh Finds Global, New Music Friday Norway, The Punk List, All New Rock, 100% Rock, Rock idag and Rock ei ole kuollut and many more, as well as Apple Music’s New Music Daily, The New Rock and Flesh Blood.
Lazy Queen are: Henrik García Søberg (vocals/guitar/bass/keys - they/them), Petter Enger Anderdal (guitar/bass - he/him), and Jørgen Apeness (drums/keys - he/him)
LABEL CONTACT
Carl-Marcus Gidlöf
Head of the Snake
Icons Creating Evil Art
Råsundavägen 73, Solna, Sweden
cmg@icea.se
Carl-Marcus Gidlöf
Head of the Snake
Icons Creating Evil Art
Råsundavägen 73, Solna, Sweden
cmg@icea.se