Hailing from a small town in Norway, indie-pop newcomer Ola Village has released his debut single with “A OK.” In a time of uncertainty and isolation, “A OK” echoes themes of positivity, self-belief, and optimism. Stylistically, the track takes inspiration from several indie artists, blending the vocal tones of Rex Orange County with energetic, rhythmic guitar chords reminiscent of Tame Impala.
The song begins with scattered voices and hazy guitar, and as the drums kick in and the guitar chords becomes livelier, Ola reminisces on the joy of years past and describes his dreams, in which he “made lemonade with Kanye West.” As he proceeds into the chorus, a bouncy background beat complements his melodic, high-pitched vocals as he remembers “Everything is A OK.” Ola really finds his groove here, combining feel-good, catchy lyrics with grandiose instrumentation.
Regarding the release of the single, Ola has his own thoughts too: “This year hasn’t exactly been overwhelming with positivity, and working in music has definitely not been easy with everything going on. As a result I was gradually losing my motivation for it all. And that’s something I’ve never been even close to feeling before. At times I’d started picturing myself doing other things. Luckily that changed. After befriending the guy that mixed the single, I regained my motivation. He gave me a much-needed boost in my creative self-esteem. So, to me, the song is now really about hope. Dreaming big and also believing that you can do it. But it’s still mostly just a silly song. I mean, Kanye would never make his own lemonade.”
“A OK” is our first look into Ola Village’s upcoming EP, slated for release in 2021. Stream the track on Soundcloud above or on Spotify.
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