We have written about the Norwegian project Cold Mailman earlier here in Eardrums, and now we are very happy to tell you that CM’s debut album will be released on the fifth of May. I said debut, but it’s not really his debut. Cold Mailman has released several homemade cd-r albums in very limited editions, but this is his first “proper” album.

Cold Mailman is basically Ivar Bowitz, and whatever friend he’s got around at the time of recording. The last year, the Cold Mailman-crew has been more stable than ever, and at the moment, these people are most often present on his live shows and recordings: Ivar himself plays guitar and vocals, his brother Martin plays bass (ex-Spectacle), the drummer is Stian H (Käthe Kollwitz), Ingeborg Selnes does a lot of things and sings, Martin Larsen (Scarlet Monroe) plays guitar and Torbjørn Hafnor (Lukestar) plays guitar.

Several of the musicians who is and has been involved in Cold Mailman has a background from the hardcore-scene in Norway, but in Bowitz’ project they play delicate pop, sometimes close to acoustic folk and other times louder and more noisy, but always with the pop-structure in focus. References may be as diverse as Nick Drake/Joni Mitchell/Iron & Wine on one side, and Pavement/Motorpsycho/Sonic Youth on the other side.

The fine pop melodies are always present, but not always as obvious and immediate as you would get them in a hit song. They can arrive late, or be hidden under other elements, just waiting to be discovered by some serious listener.

The album is called “How to escape cause and effect”, and it’s released on a small (but very interesting) Oslo-based label called Spoon Train Audio. For those of you who are interested in new, Norwegian indie, they have just released an impressive high-quality compilation with lots of new, young Oslo-bands. Order it from their website.

Here’s the first single from the album, “The great escape”. Can you hear the hardcore-people in there?

Cold Mailman – The Great Escape (from nrk urört)