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Smerz is the Norwegian duo of Henriette Motzfeldt and Catharina
Stoltenberg, based in Oslo and Copenhagen. The duo released their
sophomore album, Big city life, on May 23 through Danish label Escho.
Using collages to capture moments of everyday life and dreams, Smerz
tell stories lived and imagined—of apathy, loneliness and internal
monologue, love and friendship. Smerz operates at the intersection of
genres, drawing inspiration from compositional techniques in classical
music, the experimentation of computer music and the immediacy of pop
music, in the palettes of girly existentialism.
The duo’s discography includes the critically acclaimed debut album
‘Believer’ on XL Recordings, EPs ’Have fun’ and ‘Okey’, released through
XL and Escho, as well as pop fantasy project ‘ALLINA’ and choir piece
‘Tidligere den dagen’ with vocal ensemble GAEA on their own label
Shopping.
Notable past performances include Tate Modern, MOCA Geffen, Berghain,
Volksbühne, MIRA Festival with Weirdcore, KODE with the Norwegian
National Company of Contemporary Dance, and Club To Club. From their
choir performance at the MUNCH Museum to fashion runway soundtracks,
throughout their work, Smerz have been known for their ability to
navigate and create new sonic worlds.
“Smerz create a genre-bending dreamscape of introspective reflections
(“A thousand lies”) mixed with sauntering, future-focused bops
(“Feisty”)”
“Each song on Big city life brings something unexpected to the table,
leaving you with something to ponder long after it’s over.” – Paste
Magazine
