Category: Lemaitre

Norwegian duo Lemaitre burst onto the scene in 2010, the intricate electronic pop of their debut EP ‘The Friendly Sound’ effortlessly defying conventional electronic formulas. Fast forward 10 years and Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund have barely paused to breathe. The prolific LA based pair’s upcoming ‘JGM’ EP is set for release via Substellar Records on 22^nd May and named after close friend and collaborator Johannes Greve Muskat who passed away last year, it’s no doubt their most personal work to date. Out today, first single and opening track ‘Wondering If I’ll Ever Come Down’ is a defiant electro-pop gem, it’s thumping piano chords and frank lyricism a timely reminder to make the most of each day. The band has this to say on it:

“We wrote the hook and melody at 6am after a long day and night of just making music, drinking wine and doing mushrooms. We were quite literally wondering if we’d ever come down. We did, and to our pleasant surprise the song sounded good afterwards too. We kept working on it and it developed into this anthem about trying to keep going when things are hard, because they can only get better again.” 

‘JGM’s’ collaborators include producer friends Bearson, Coucheron, Jerry Folk, Didrik Thulin and one of Sweden’s most sought-after producers, Chords, who co-wrote ‘Eyes Wide Open.’ In true Lemaitre fashion they continue to reinvent themselves and constantly push the boundaries of the genres in which they operate. Their endless commitment to upending what’s expected of the musical experience dates back to their earliest days as a duo. After meeting at a party in Oslo and bonding over their love of the Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx, Lund and Jansen started making music as teenagers, often holing up in Jansen’s parents’ basement for 14 hours a day. In 2010 their debut release reached No. 1 on Hype Machine overnight, and the subsequent releases of the ‘Relativity’ series (3 EP’s) caught the attention of some of dance music’s biggest names, including Martin Solveig and Porter Robinson. Upon signing for Astralwerks, the pair relocated to LA. In 2016, Lemaitre drew critical acclaim for ‘1749’ and ‘Afterglow,’ two boundary-blurring EPs that found the duo mastering everything from electro-swing to nu-disco and future bass. Lead track ‘Closer,’ featuring Jennie A, has had over 85 million plays on Spotify. The duo’s creativity culminated with the release of the Fast Lovers EP in 2019, featuring breakout tracks ‘Rocket Girl’ (feat Betty Who), and ‘Big.’

Known for their incendiary live sets, they have made a name for themselves globally through headline tours, huge support shows and some bumper festival slots, including Coachella, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza Paris and Stockholm, and the Roskilde Festival in Denmark where they broke the record for the biggest ever audience at the Apollo stage. “The last few years have flown by really fast and there is still so much music we want to make,” they say. “Our music has taken us all over the world, but we feel like we’ve just begun.”

Listen to their new single here.