Airbag

Oslo, Norway provided the setting for Airbag’s formation in 2004, when the group began crafting a sound labeled epic and scenic while drawing comparisons to neo-prog and late-night Pink Floyd. The five-piece lineup featured guitarist and vocalist Asle Tostrup alongside guitarist Bjørn Riis, keyboardist Jørgen Hagen, drummer Joachim Slikker, and bassist Anders Hovdan. Within their debut year the musicians completed an initial EP titled Come On, which was succeeded by Sounds That I Hear in 2006 and Safetree two years later. Offered gratis via the band’s site, the three EPs collectively surpassed 230,000 downloads and attracted the attention of Karisma Records, leading to a contract signed in 2008.

Identity, the band’s first full-length release, appeared in 2009 and contained reworked tracks drawn from the second and third EPs. Critics responded favorably, and the single “Colours” climbed to third place on Polish radio. All Rights Removed followed in 2011, reflecting a shift toward extended compositions and heightened dramatic textures; ahead of its release Slikker departed, with Henrik Bergan Fossum stepping in on drums. The album earned widespread praise within progressive-rock circles and appeared on numerous year-end lists.

After supporting Marillion on Scandinavian dates in 2012, Airbag issued The Greatest Show on Earth the next year, adopting a denser, guitar-centric style mirrored by bleaker, more destructive lyrical themes. Disconnected arrived in June 2016; shortly afterward both Hagen and Hovdan exited, leaving the remaining members to continue as a trio. Their fifth album, A Day at the Beach, surfaced in 2020.