Lower Seek Warmer Climes Black Vinyl Edition

The record sparkles with the harmonic dissonance and high-strung urgency of their underground rock forebears, but Copenhagen’s Lower ­– Adrian Toubro (vocals), Simon Formann (guitar), Kristian Emdal (bass) and Anton Rothstein (drums) – also channel the romance and drama of great singer-songwriters, from late-period Scott Walker to Bryan Ferry. The result is a hugely ambitious and affecting rock album that enters deeply personal and unusual sonic and topical spaces.

You don’t have to dig deep to hear how far Lower’s music sits from the traditional concerns of modern rock music. Toubro’s lyrics are finely wrought emotional dramas that, in their poetic construction and raw honesty of delivery. “Every song on the record deals in some way with personal development, be it emotional or cosmetic,” says Toubro. “How to act in different social contexts, and to acclimatize oneself into a given situation without losing face.”