a-ha
True North
RCA/Sony
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By the summer of 2010, three a-ha compilations had gone out into the world: Headlines and Deadlines: The Hits of a-ha (1991), The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004 (2005) and 25 (2010). Each collection served as a marker for the Norwegian trio’s career up to a specific interval: the inaugural set was a declarative capstone of their initial ascent; the second one served as a reminder of the band’s prowess after a six-year absence and a demonstration of their ability to operate in a (then) contemporary space.
On the third affair, across a two-disc spread, a-ha showcased an impressive 33 singles issued since the group launched with their debut Hunting High and Low (1985)—25 certainly lived up to its namesake. The breadth of this collection confirmed that “Take on Me” was an outlier to the more nuanced content to be found within their repertoire.
a-ha stumped for this freshly minted best of with an acclaimed world tour and the one new track included on 25: “Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah).” An uptempo ballad, it crystallized that classic a-ha vibe of pop elegance and couldn’t have been a better curtain call for Pål Waaktaar-Savoy (guitar), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards/guitar), and Morten Harket (vocals). But it wasn’t quite the end just yet.
The three men found themselves drawn back together for Cast in Steel (2015)—their tenth long player as hosted on Polydor-Universal. Seven years after that critically acclaimed raft, a-ha went on to endorse an extensive back catalog reissue campaign, continued touring to sold-out crowds (barring a brief pause during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic), put forward their fourth live record and unveiled a-ha: The Movie.
Origins of their current offering True North—and its companion flick of the same name—can be traced back to that 2021 documentary feature; the occasionally fraught interpersonal connection between Waaktaar-Savoy, Furuholmen and Harket was laid bare in a-ha: The Movie.
And yet, artistic synchrony once again reunited the threesome to brainstorm their eleventh outing (per the RCA/Sony labels). On this venture, a-ha journeyed to a recording studio located in Bodø, a municipality in Nordland county, Norway—it’s also located just 90 kilometers from the North Pole. In Furuholmen’s own words, True North is “a letter from a-ha, from the Arctic Circle, a poem from the far north of Norway.”
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The film component—released in select cinemas last month—captures the album’s genesis through a blended documentary-fictional narrative vignette style. So far, the critical consensus has been positive and subsequently set the bar high for the LP itself. a-ha does not disappoint: Furuholmen and Waaktaar-Savoy direct the production with able assistance from the Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic and a small clutch of supporting session musicians. They construct gorgeous electronic, chamber pop and adult contemporary genre pieces as heard on “Make Me Understand,” “Oh My Word,” and the lead-off single “I’m In.”
The group’s recruitment of the Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic won’t come as a surprise to a-ha devotees, orchestral aesthetics have factored prominently into past efforts from the troika. What’s different now is the intensity of this approach utilized here, bestowing an immersive, almost elemental quality to the record. It will more than certainly bring to mind the beauty of Bodø’s landscapes as intended and signpost True North’s confident mixture of refinement and experimentation.
Said experimentation comes to bear on “Hunter in the Hills” and “Bumblebee,” as a-ha flirts with a new jazzier sound. These two entries highlight an incidental soulfulness nestled within Harket’s already golden tone. That emotive vocal quality which made him unique among his peers Tony Hadley, Simon Le Bon and Dave Gahan—of Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode respectively—has yet to lose its luster.
Harket’s interpretive powers impress when one considers that his own pen didn’t touch any of the stock contained on True North. Furuholmen, along with Waaktaar-Savoy, plotted all 12 songs where topically character studies—real or imagined—on the human condition (“You Have What It Takes”) and today’s modern world (“Between the Halo and the Horn”) are all explored with ruminative magnetism due to Harket. In particular, the title cut and “Forest for the Trees” announce themselves as gripping standouts in this regard.
This is not to say that Harket cannot script himself as shown on previous a-ha efforts and his own solo material. Speaking recently to the press prior to the reveal of True North, the mercurial frontman touched frankly on the writing dynamic within the group, “I don’t want to muscle my own stuff in between Pål and Mags. It doesn’t really work, so I’ve stopped doing it. As a singer it’s how I interpret things and engage in their songwriting. It’s how the music speaks to me. I write for my solo work but for a-ha it works better like this.” That statement allows one to peek further behind the curtain of the ever-evolving working relationship between a-ha.
Thumbing their nose at preconceived notions around their identity has allowed Waaktar-Savoy, Furuholmen and Harket to build a discography bursting with accomplished recordings. a-ha continue on in this tradition with True North, another gem in their pop crown—long may they reign.
Notable Tracks: “Hunter in the Hills” | “I’m In” | “Oh My Word” | “True North”
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