Madrugada

Five years of prior collaboration preceded Madrugada’s first EP, issued in 1998. The musicians had formed in the northern Norwegian town of Stokmarknes under the name Abbey’s Adoption in 1993 before relocating to Oslo two years later to focus exclusively on their songs. Their breakthrough arrived with the New Depression EP during spring 1999, when the release climbed the upper reaches of the singles charts and received extensive airplay on Norwegian radio.

Industrial Silence, their first full-length album, appeared in autumn 1999 and steadily gained traction as relentless touring enlarged their audience. The band refused to restrict performances to Norway and Scandinavia, instead establishing a live presence across Europe at clubs in Berlin and Paris, which positioned them as the Norwegian act enjoying the widest international support for several years running.

In February 2001 they issued the unexpected chart-topping single “Hands up, I Love You” alongside their second album, The Nightly Disease. Although the record adopted a darker, less approachable sound than its predecessor, it surpassed Industrial Silence in Norwegian sales within weeks.