Beatservice Records
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Norwegian electropop band Flunk has just dropped Xmas EP, a very chill new five-song release that gathers four beautiful, sparse covers (all of which have appeared in some form before) alongside one reworking of a previous song, “Sanctuary,” reimagined as a stripped-down Christmas version.
I’ll touch briefly on the covers, if only to point out that while Flunk is commonly known as an electronic band, three of the four tracks are accompanied only by solo acoustic guitar, with the remaining track featuring a lone electric guitar. The guitars exist mainly to frame the true centerpiece of these songs: vocalist Anja Øyen Vister’s beautiful—and yes, I have to say it—Björk-esque vocals.
“Sanctuary,” in its original form, is a lovely, chilled electropop track. Here, it’s pulled apart and rebuilt with gentle bells and subtle textures, the drums removed entirely, creating something far more ethereal than the original. I can easily imagine this track closing out someone’s holiday mix.
Bottom Line: Some gorgeous stuff here – surprised I hadn’t sniffed it out before!
Christmas Underground 