A four-piece formed by middle schoolers who bonded after working together on a short film,
Veps
(Norwegian for "wasp") quickly made waves on the Oslo music scene with a '90s-inflected sound reminiscent of the radio-ready alt-pop and dance-rock of acts like
the Cardigans
and
Garbage
. Brooklyn-based indie label
Kanine Records
signed on for their 2021 debut EP,
Open the Door
, released when the bandmembers were 17. A little over a year later,
' full-length debut,
Oslo Park
, while a touch uneven, is united by a striding demeanor, durable melodies, and a blend of sleek and crunchy production implemented by
Matias Tellez
(
girl in red
,
Sondre Lerche
), fresh off his Producer of the Year prize at Norway's Spellemann Awards. A tribute to their adolescent years, the nine-song set opens with just a touch of retro surf flair on tentative midtempo entry "The Other Side of the Door," an abbreviated outing that sets the stage for going public ("Walking on a tightropeâ?¦If I make it, take it/Leave them shocked"). From there, they generally demonstrate an assertiveness and capability beyond their years on catchy pop/rockers like the driving love song "Mooney Tunes," the slinkier "UFO," the minor-key breakup rant "Crawl," and a pair of particularly '90s-evoking standouts, "A Show of Hands" and "His Brothers," both of which combine fuzzy guitar riffs and strutting basslines with rousing, cymbal-crashing choruses. All the while rotating lead vocal duties between everyone but drummer
Maja Berge
bring the energy down just a little on the album's back third, closing with a tinge of regret on kiss-off track "The Credits," a tune replete with imperative verbs and wistful girl group ooh-oohs. Nothing if not auspicious,
's 26-minute run time will leave many wanting more. ~ Marcy Donelson