Pom Poko

Hailing from Norway, the free-spirited Pom Poko fuse technical skills honed through jazz studies with their experimental impulses, yielding music that proves equally sweet and volatile. Drawing from math rock, post-punk, West African traditions, and off-kilter pop acts like Deerhoof, the quartet unveiled its loose-limbed, playful approach on the 2019 release Birthday before spotlighting the tension between precise songwriting and unruly live shows on the bracing 2021 album Cheater. On 2024’s Champion, Pom Poko infused greater maturity into its sound while retaining every ounce of vitality.

The band, whose name references a Studio Ghibli feature, features Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit on vocals alongside guitarist Martin Miguel Almagro Tonne, drummer Ola Djupvik, and bassist Jonas Krøvel. Tonne, Djupvik, and Krøvel first connected as students at the Trondheim Music Conservatory, where they initially envisioned a noise-punk trio. An invitation to play a 2016 literary festival prompted them to recruit Jamtveit and swiftly craft a batch of sugary pop-punk tracks laced with surprising turns. Early performances followed, among them an opening slot for friends Broen; label founder Simon Raymonde caught the set and promptly signed the group to Bella Union.

The imprint issued Pom Poko’s debut album Birthday in February 2019, earning nominations for the Nordic Music Prize and a pair of Norwegian Grammy Awards. That August brought the standalone single “Leg Day,” tracked in a northern Italian village, while March 2020 saw the arrival of “Praise,” which signaled the more explosive course of the follow-up LP Cheater. Co-produced by Marcus Forsgren and released in January 2021, that record pushed the band’s sugary and combustible elements to further extremes. One year later came the EP This Is Our House, a collection blending archival and fresh material across textures from fuzzed-out to fragile.

While shaping their third album, Pom Poko’s evident growth as both musicians and individuals shaped the material. Self-produced and mixed by Ali Chant, Champion arrived in August 2024, presenting a more open take on the group’s sound alongside themes of parenthood and personal development.