It’s quite interesting to see the evolution of certain bands that are destined for great things. InVogue Records – former home to Being As An Ocean, and current home to bands like Convictions and Until We Are Ghosts – has a keen eye for talent, and their newest discovery, Sweden’s Normandie, is a special band. But how did they get here? The band, in their 3 short years as a band, has had a strange but effective path to success.
Somewhere around 2-3 years ago at the end of 2013, I vaguely remember messaging back and forth with Normandie’s vocalist, Philip Strand. We were discussing a new music video the band was releasing, for the song “Violence”. It certainly wasn’t anything bad, but the track was fairly similar (and inferior) to Bring Me The Horizon’s “Shadow Moses”, released earlier that same year. Needless to say, it wasn’t anything that particularly captured my attention, but the band had only released one song, so I still kept them on my radar.
Fast forward a year later, and the band released a emotional, power ballad-esque track, “Gone”. A slow burner to be sure, but it’s a style that I felt suited them well, and was a marked departure from the previous, admittedly average material. Sometimes it’s not the first impression that you get of someone that’s important – in Normandie’s case, it was the second one.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2016, and Normandie finally released their debut full-length album, Inguz. A far cry from their previous metalcore material, it’s a very good alternative rock record that will get stuck in your head. Buoyed by two strong pre-release singles in “Awakening” and “Collide”, the album honestly has no weak or filler material. Compared to the previous EP, it’s miles away from what the band was doing – it’s honestly much closer to current stars like Pvris and Hands Like Houses than anything else. An exceptional vocal performance from Philip Strand, a near-absence of screaming, and a good (and interesting!) rhythm section helps their cause as well. This is some seriously phenomenal music, both in technicality and possibly popularity, and the future is very bright for Normandie. Listen up – they’re going nowhere but up right now.
Good job, Normandie. You’re on the way to stardom.
