Track of the Week: Pom Poko - “Andrew”

Pom Poko ended up on my radar when their jagged pump-up jam “Leg Day” made its way onto a playlist of suggestions made by Apple’s robots. The Norwegian band makes punk fun again (put that on a hat), pairing fuzzed-out and nu-psych guitar tones with other offbeat noise makers like cowbells and harpsichords. Vocalist Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit answers the question “What if Joanna Newsom knew how to rock?” while the rest of the band answers “What if Toronto’s METZ smiled more?” The result is infectious and addictive.

“Andrew” is decidedly more down-tempo than much of their work, but without losing the group’s sense of glee. Taken at face value, the song’s lyrics are nice to whoever their Andrew is, but the music and delivery tinge the message with a winking sarcasm to keep you on your toes. Listening, you can easily imagine the band dressed in rainbow colours while flipping middle fingers at your camera.

The song sits as the third track on their sophomore album, Cheater, which arrives in full in January. I wait with baited breath.