Qualmbum is the fourth full-length album from Norwegian pop punk veterans goldenboy. Qualmbum is just as simple as it is complicated. Just as happy as it is sad. Most of the eleven tracks on the album were written after catastrophe hit lead singer and songwriter Torkel back in January 2022, when he and his wife lost their newborn son due to fatal hospital mistakes. Other songs on the album were written a while before 2022, and deal with more everyday-9-to-5-normal-people-issues: Heartbreaks, hangovers, family, and the struggle between me, myself and I. Qualmbum delivers eleven heartfelt, melodic pop punk songs that will quickly become one of your favourite albums for 2024.
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Press:
125 x Opaque Yellow
125 x Transparent Baby Blue w/ Splatter
REVIEWS:
Personal Punk
Believe it or not, these ‘Norwegian pop-punk providers‘ have been knocking around since 1999. Qualmbum is their fourth album, released a full eleven years after their last (Lesson 3: Arts and Crafts).
A truly lovely moment in and of itself, the wider context of acoustic opener My Name Is Dad – singer Torkel and his wife losing their newborn son Ole, who died at just five days old – coupled with Ole’s brother Vetle lending his remarkable backing vocals, adds emotional heft. Brave, beautiful, and surprisingly uplifting; song-writing salve for a bruised soul.
What follows, while a little more generic, is nevertheless a thrilling listen, and they’re not done with your emotions just yet. Before that though, we’re treated to a catchy, GREEN DAY rocker (Rated R) with handclaps and twin-guitar solos, the spoken bridge on Please Hold is, frankly, astonishing, and Late Night Buzz, from jangly intro to bittersweet anthem, taps into a melancholy JIMMY EAT WORLD. Armed with a killer riff and packed with harmonies, the breezy punk of Empty Handed goes long without overstaying, while the driving Lately manages some solid, hard rock guitar and juicy pick slides. NOFX harmonies and key changes abound in Rain On My Parade, including a full-blown rock bridge, string-like synths adding histrionic punch.
n That Bottle‘s ultra-catchy pop punk sports a neat little guitar solo, and You Had Me At Goodbye is cute, in a good way; mature emo-rock imbued with a timeless warmth. THE TRAVOLTAS‘ Perry Leenhouts joins in on Para Toda La Vida for a summery slice of melancholic indie-rock, but they dip back into bone-deep emotion with QUALM. Vetle once again lends his vocals to this building, piano-led ballad, complete with twin-guitar rock-outs and an arresting spoken piece towards the end of this truly fitting denouement.
Framed by pain, Qualmbum refuses to be defined by it. While its bookends are undoubtedly deeply affecting pieces in their own right, they also serve to contextualise the rest of the songs, shining a light on their positive aspects. Giving them a hug, if you like. Heartfelt, human, stunning.
Dead Sick
Never before have I seen such an international effort to bring music to the masses. With help from record labels all over the world, Double Helix Records and Punk Rock Radar here in the US, Cat’s Claw Records in the UK, our buddies at High End Denim records in Canada, Pee Records in Australia and Apollon Records in Norway. The Norwegian Punk outfit Goldenboy truly have a worldwide team behind them to help bring us their latest offering
The fourth full-length album from these punk rock veterans is sure to make you slam dance yourself into oblivion while also tugging mercilessly at your heartstrings. The opening track is one that sets itself apart from the rest of the album, with an incredibly somber subject backed up by melancholic melodies to deliver the story of the singer’s newborn baby boy’s untimely passing. As a father myself, this one hit me right in the gut. A fourth of the way through the song my eyes were shrink wrapped in tears as my mind immediately went to thoughts of my own son, whom I’m flying home to see tomorrow morning after a lengthy work trip to Colorado. Once the added vocals of the young man hit, I was a total mess. I couldn’t help but feel a heartbreaking sense of empathy for the man as the song brings the listener through a tumultuous, heart breaking journey of loss, grief, and finally acceptance. That doesn’t make it any easier to listen to the second time though. While pieces of the album revisit themes of heartbreak and loss, the majority of the songs bring forth the bouncy punky rhythms once again.
Rater R for example resembles that old school skate punk feel with the tried and true theme of a struggling relationship that just can’t seem to hold on. I really dig how they incorporate a type of “doowop” style clapping rhythm around the 2 minute mark, which I couldn’t help but clap along with. The album is littered with examples of exquisite composition and songwriting, encapsulating various feelings and emotions of despair and heartache while pushing through the darkness out to the other side and back into the light through the melodies while also capturing the old school punk rhythms we’ve all come to know and love. Capitalizing on some old school american surfer rock and 50s rock vibes at the same time. Do people surf in Norway? I couldn’t imagine the hypothermia is worth it, but to each their own.
One other thing worth mentioning is how they’re able to combine the two aesthetics, carrying a somber theme over a much more poppy feel to the music. Immediately followed by another tale of heartbreak, however I’d have to interpret “Qualm” seems to pursue a feeling of trying to push through the heartache and carry on living, though the writer struggles with that idea. It’s a very well rounded song with a welcome addition of a piano medley towards the end.
Overall Goldenboy has delivered a steller album chocked full of amazingly heartbreaking songs that are sure to get you blubbering like a baby, while also inspiring you to dance and bounce around your house in your underwear, not caring if the neighbors can see or not.
If you pick up any new punk albums this year, make sure you get Qualmbum first, and set the bar high for the rest of your collection.
RELEASE DATE:
24 May 2024
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CREDITS:
CAT #: PV043
Music and Lyrics by Torkel Hofslett Thowsen.
Arranged by goldenboy.
Recorded in Superlyd 2023.
Produced, Mixed and Mastered by Jostein Steinsland-Hauge
