Sondre Lerche: sunny California lounge pop from the land of endless winter nights

Interview, March, 2004 by Britt Schoenhoff

Given Sondre Lerche's penchant for crafting melodies as warm and breezy as a lazy summer's day, it's hard to believe that he hails from Norway--land of frail sunshine and dark death metal. But the 21-year-old singer-songwriter's remote location hasn't dampened his imagination. "Being isolated from anything formatted builds character," says Lerche. "When you come from Norway, it's essential that you are individual--that's going to be your ticket out."

While Lerche has been performing in his hometown of Bergen since he was 14, when his older sister helped him get his first gig at a club, his influences nod conspicuously toward popular Left Coast American songwriters like the Beach Boys and Burr Bacharach. "I don't want to be precious about my music," he explains. "I think a lot of people would like my music if they were given a chance to hear it."

That opportunity arrives with the release of Lerche's new album, Two Way Monologue (Astralwerks). Bursting with swells of string arrangements, synth flourishes, and soft, nimble guitar work, the record ebbs toward introspection, with Lerche sounding like both a lovesick poet and a swanky lounge singer.

Though Lerche's honey-smooth voice could probably melt a frozen fjord, he suspects that might not have been the case if he had sung in Norwegian. "With the content of the lyrics, it would've been embarrassing," he admits, "and in Norwegian, it would just be a lot of consonants."

Britt Schoenhoff is a Los Angeles-based writer.