The Foreign Resort

Artist Information

Biography

Sonically expressive, dark and moody, catchy and up-beat are words to describe this Danish group that mixes 80s New Wave with today’s Post-rock.

Hailing from Copenhagen, The Foreign Resort has intricately balanced an international sound with songs that instill contradictory feelings of melancholy and bliss. The band takes the audience on a journey through passages of textured layers with haunting and dreamy vocals, to echoes and pulsations of overdriven guitars, powerful drumming, driving bass, and intense thematic melodic lines. The end result is an aural rollercoaster of emotional intensity.

Since 2010, the band has been rigorous in booking over 130 shows – most of them in the US as well as showcases at Spot Festival 2010, SXSW 2012, Iceland Airwaves 2012 and CMJ Music Marathon 2011 & 2012. This enabled them to develop a wider fan base, as well as becoming part of the burgeoning noise pop scene – evident through rotation, interviews, and live performances at radio stations throughout the US as well as in Europe.

Other international bands have also welcomed them on their tours such as A Place to Bury Strangers and Swervedriver. In December 2011 they were handpicked by The Raveonettes as supporting act on their tour of Denmark.

In November 2011, The Foreign Resort released their sophomore, self-titled E.P. in Europe on afmusic and in the US on Monolathe Recordings.

From the moody and emotional “Heart Breaks Down” to the sonic assault in “Orange Glow” and the upbeat, fan-favorite “Take a Walk” – this E.P. clearly showcases their influences of growing up listening to the likes of Joy Division, The Cure, NIN, and My Bloody Valentine. The group describes this E.P. as a large leap in growth as a band and in their sound.

This growth led to the production of Scattered & Buried, which was released worldwide on September 25, 2012 (Monolathe Recordings) – S&B continues the sonic assault with new material and a collection of remixes including the latest single “Tide” released January 15th 2013.

The Foreign Resort will start recording their next full-length album in March 2013 with John Fryer (Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, Nine Inch Nails).

Instrumentation

Mikkel B: Jakobsen - Vocals, Guitar
Henrik Fischlein - Guitar
Morten Hansen - Drums, Vocal
Patrick Ryming - Bass

Discography

Scattered & Buried - Worldwide Release Date: September 25, 2012 (Monolathe Recordings, Distributed in Europe by Phonofile)

The Foreign Resort EP - Worldwide Release Date: October 3, 2011 (Monolathe Recordings - US, AFMusic, Germany) “Take a Walk” is currently in rotation on several radio stations across the US and Europe – and heavy rotation on Denmark’s national radio channel, DR P3 & P6 BEAT.

'Colleen' and 'Take a Walk' feature on the soundtrack for the documentary 'Dressed' about a New York fashion designer released June 14th 2011.

Offshore - Released February 20, 2009. The vinyl-only release is distributed by Labelkollektivet in Denmark, in Italy by Black Nutria Independent Label and from in the United States by San Francisco-based Three Ring Records. 'Offshore' is also available worldwide as download on various online stores like iTunes and CDON.
The Foreign Resort's second single 'Lost My Way' was played on several Italian radio stations while the first single 'The Starlit Sea' is aired on Danish national radio and German radio NDR.
The video for 'The Starlit Sea' was released in October and was in rotation on Italian music television channels.

Official Website

http://www.theforeignresort.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Last.fm
• Bandcamp
• Soundcloud
• Youtube

Audio

• Delayed (Radio Edit)
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• Take a Walk
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• Colleen
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• Heart Breaks Down
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• Orange Glow
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Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• The Foreign Resort: Scattered & Buried ***** [+ Show ]
  

  Everything works completely flawless for The Foreign Resort who, despite the cool and melancholy bas...Everything works completely flawless for The Foreign Resort who, despite the cool and melancholy based in British late-80s rock, carries you to warmer climes. A tropical storm is underway at the resort, but the foundation is rock solid so you can enjoy the show without anything collapsing

• The Foreign Resort- “Scattered and Buried” [+ Show ]
  

  Following the success of their self titled EP in November 2011, Denmark’s “The Foreign Resort” have ...Following the success of their self titled EP in November 2011, Denmark’s “The Foreign Resort” have released their new album “Scattered and Buried”. Comprised of Mikkel B. Jakobsen on vocals/guitars, Morten Hansen on drums/vocals, Henrik Fischlein on guitar and Patrick Ryming on bass, “The Foreign Resort” do not disappoint with this labyrinthine album. Continuing with their signature guitar shoegazing infused electro riffs, this really stretches the boundaries of new wave music. With its explosive, dark multi-faceted, edgy and atmospheric songs, “Scattered and Buried” excels at intense, mutating songs, whose darkness manifests through the fuzzy riffs and weighty bass.
  
  It’s also an album which showcases the theatrical and versatile vocals of Jakobsen and immaculate drum craftsmanship of Hansem. It’s also without doubt an album which alters the senses through the mesmerising riffs of Jakobsen, Fischlein and Ryming. Lyrically, the album is emotionally singed and secretly prolific. With remixes of “Heart Breaks Down”, “Take a Walk” and “Orange Glow”, “Scattererd and Buried” is a polarised electro-guitar infused album, which convolutes with an assault of textured riffs and elates with its euphoric synths. It’s also an album which sees “The Foreign Resort” dabble with more dancey vibes, reminiscent of early New Order-esque sonic beats and likened to the early 90s club scene.
  
  Switched on by the sublime “Delayed”, here is a track which tunes you in with its radio-antennae riffs. It’s an impressive opener, which captivates you with its cacophony of sinking bass and wayward riffs. With his sullen vocals, Jakobsen really captures the dark melancholy of the song, which delves deep into the mesh of fuzzy and descending drones. What’s distinguished about “The Foreign Resort” is the significance of the bass throughout all their tracks. It’s not often you hear a band which makes the bass as prominent as the lead guitars. In particular in “Delayed” you hear how Ryming’s under chamber of drones, skilfully hammer and pound against the skydiving, rotating and nimble-fingered riffs. With lyrics such as “Afraid of now, if my heart will ever mend”, you hear the torture emitted which is wrapped up and smothered by the shoegazing assault.
  
  “Buried”, on the other hand, is an example of how the legacy of influences can be incorporated and stand the test of time. With its Joy Division-esqe intro, “Buried” then accelerates with more post-punk, jittery riffs that consolidate with shades of early U2. With exact precision “Buried” slides, staggers and penetrates the vocals with its wave of reverberating, shoegazing riffs. Along with its New Order-esque drum infested out-tro, “Buried” exudes an unhinged edginess, defining “The Foreign Resort” very much as a genre-bending band.
  
  Again it’s the New-Order-esque sonic beats that kick starts “Rocky Mountains” into a chaotic clatter of shoegazing haze. With it’s telescopic vocals, “Rocky Mountains” synchronises with the eerie sonic synths that reverberate against The Jesus and Mary Chain-esque riffs.
  
  “Lost My Way (2012)” once more illustrates how the distorted vocals integrate with the wonky, wavering bass, creating the backdrop for this oblique track. Along with its nagging, muffled riffs and elongated drones, “Lost My Way” is progressive new wave music personified. It’s a track whose ascending riffs and synths synchronise in juxtaposition against the blackened bass splodges.
  
  “Tide” is one of the albums most sonic infused songs, whose drugged up and choppy synths resonate against the emotive vocals. Lyrically minimal “Tide” skilfully evokes emotional discord which drifts aside the Industrial and tinny riffs.

• The Foreign Resort – Shoegazer-Wolves on Patrol [+ Show ]
  

  Exerpt: “a cold-blooded, solid and brutal crowbar of an ep that really should pan doors for The F...Exerpt:
  
  “a cold-blooded, solid and brutal crowbar of an ep that really should pan doors for The Foreign Resort. They will surely grow big and black.”
  
  Rated 5 of 6

• Album Review: The Foreign Resort – The Foreign Resort EP [+ Show ]
  

  The Foreign Resort aren’t likely to be a featured hotel destination on Expedia any time soon, but if...The Foreign Resort aren’t likely to be a featured hotel destination on Expedia any time soon, but if you’re into the heavily distorted and tortured howls of Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine, you may want to book a date with this Danish four-piece’s self-titled EP. They were also among the latest bands announced for South by Southwest in March, so you could always go see them in Austin. (Good luck finding accommodations for that week though.)
  As for the five tracks that make up this EP, “Colleen” is a love cry about a broken heart “never healing quite like it used to/and never feeling quite like before.” It has a relentless, almost archetypical post-punk pace to it that you could probably pass off as a U2 song castoff from the very early 80s. “Orange Glow” is where things start to get murky. The opening sounds like a synthesized “Iron Man”, but then breaks out of its shell after about a minute. Electronica meets shoegazing head on in this song, with neither side emerging victorious, and everyone’s ears are bleeding a little by the end.
  
  All throughout the EP, singer Mikkel Jakobsen’s voice is clear, crisp, and remarkably calm. He’s no Ian Curtis imitator, that’s for sure, even when the tempo shifts somewhat on “Heart Breaks Down”, which is slower to the point of being trancelike, and definitely eerie. There is also a much better balance than the previous song in terms of instruments competing against one another– putting up a “wall of sound” as it were. “Take a Walk” is about as cheery as these melancholic Danes get: it even has a good dance beat to it, but Jakobsen has to remind us that his band is moody and angry when he curses, “It was all too fucking good”.
  
  Finally, the seven-minute-plus “Torch It” flickers out more than burn brightly, but just because it’s a tad meandering shouldn’t take away from the fact there’s some really good, loud stuff here that nu gaze fans of M83 and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart should enjoy.
  
  Essential Tracks: “Colleen”, “Take a Walk

• Good Holiday Resort [+ Show ]
  

  Having read that The Foreign Resort had "Tears For Fears-ish melodies" on the PR blurb that came wit...Having read that The Foreign Resort had "Tears For Fears-ish melodies" on the PR blurb that came with the EP, I was not expecting this self-titled EP to be anything special. How wrong could you get, quite simply it is 5 tracks of pure bliss.
  
  Don't worry, we are not about to start championing pop bands from the 80's, "The Foreign Resort" is shoegaze with a hint of post rock thrown in for good measure. It certainly should appeal to fans of A Place To Bury Strangers, Sonic Youth and fellow Scandinavians, The Megaphonic Thrift.
  
  All five tracks are vibrant and each with their own feel but one thing they all have in common is that they grab you by the proverbials right from the opening bars of 'Colleen' and don't let go all the way to the end of 'Torch It'. 'Orange Glow' deserves a special mention for its dark hard hitting atmospheric edginess.
  
  It is a shame that for a band that comes from just over the North Sea, it appears they have yet to play on these shores, yet have made it across the Atlantic on a few occasions. Let's hope that soon changes as their sound is one that will be adored right here.

• Gotham Was Not Built in a Day [+ Show ]
  

  Exerpt: “An EP can hardly get more whole than this. It has taken The Foreign Resort very long to ...Exerpt:
  
  “An EP can hardly get more whole than this. It has taken The Foreign Resort very long to get such a refined sound. But it has been worth the wait.”
  
  Rated 92 of 100

• GAFFA Review - Spot Festival, May 22, 2010 [+ Show ]
  

  "The Cure embedded in noise with Tears For Fears-ish melodies and the energy burst of Joy Division. ..."The Cure embedded in noise with Tears For Fears-ish melodies and the energy burst of Joy Division. And that is as close as it gets because The Foreign Resort sounded like themselves."
  
  "...the fantastic energy of the band driven forth by an animal of a drummer, a pumping bass and echoing, distorted and noisy feedback guitars...".
  
  "...The Foreign Resort (had) atypical song structures that time and time again went contrary to expectations and made one smile."
  

• Grandiose and Top Competent Danish Debut [+ Show ]
  

  The Foreign Resort is a startling experience. A Danish debut band entering the Danish rock scene w...
  The Foreign Resort is a startling experience. A Danish debut band entering the Danish rock scene with a power that blows your mind. The genre is British new wave - somewhere between The Cure and British Sea Power - and surrounded by the many bands who inspired and have been inspired by the above-mentioned.
  
  The threads to The Cure are at times so obvious that some might crinkle their nose. The brass infected "Towards the Dusk" is one of these but the song simply works so good that I - despite the reservation of comparison - cannot help but becoming carried along.
  
  The room has a high ceiling. The production and the arrangements are gigantic in their massive and airy rock sound and at the same time the singer Mikkel Borbjerg Jakobsen has adequate strength, fragility, grandiosity and fervour in his vocal, and this makes the expression utterly strong.
  
  The album cooperation has snuck past everything in the established Danish business and Offshore is released on vinyl in cooperation with the vinyl store Smukstoj. A somehow a distinctive character of no importance to a band that has everything it takes to let the music speak. But let's leave that be - the most important thing in this connection is that it has been made possible for The Foreign Resort to make their music available to the surrounding world.
  
  "Lost My Way" and "Relax (It's Only Love)" are two of my favorites but if one has a preference for British rock music, one should not miss this awesome debut. It is expressively, well done, meaningful and spell-binding. I am full of admiration. And puzzled that the Danish music press has not hyped this band intensely. An absolute candidate for Debut of the Year.
  
  -Morten Wamsle, diskant.dk
  
  Translated from Danish.

• Vinyl Debut with Grandiose and International Sound [+ Show ]
  

  A distorted guitar swept in hypnotic reverb strikes the tone. A dark vocal enters the soundscape t...
  A distorted guitar swept in hypnotic reverb strikes the tone. A dark vocal enters the soundscape to the beat of a hi-hat that strangely almost runs in offbeat. But The Foreign Resort does not play for fun. The opening song The Starlit Sea is a dark, grandiose song, sounding as if one’s life is at stake. Offshore is something as rare as a Danish debut only released on vinyl and conceived in collaboration with the Copenhagen vinyl store Smukstoj. On Into the Sunshine there is still no light in sight. The excellent singer Mikkel Borbjerg Jakobsen’s desperate vocal is swept in enveloped in a monotonous keyboard surface and a hard galloping bass line sending your thoughts towards Joy Division. The Foreign Resort has with great international sound carefully measured the balance between the high waving and the fragile. In spite of the inspiration from Afghan Whigs and Interpol the band manages to challenge the listener with sharp guitar contrasts and demonstrative tempo changes. The Foreign Resort go the distance on Offshore, which is a fantastic challenge to these mp3-times.
  
  Finn P. Madsen/Gaffa Magazine
  
  Translated from Danish.

• Three Italian Album Reviews [+ Show ]
  

  We got some good reviews in Italian magazines. Unfortunately I can only guess what has been written...We got some good reviews in Italian magazines.
  Unfortunately I can only guess what has been written as my Italian is as good as non-existent. Silvia from our Italian label Black Nutria informed about the reviews.
  Thanks goes out to her.
  
  To read the reviews, follow the links:
  
  Beat Bop a Lula - http://www.beatbopalula.it/musica-underground-emergenti-band/articolo.asp?articolo=108
  
  The Ship Magazine - http://www.theshipmagazine.com/the-foreign-resort---offshore.htm
  
  Rockon.it - http://www.rockon.it/recensioni/indie-rock/3308-the-foreign-resort-offshore/

• Soundvenue Selected [+ Show ]
  

  “Dark moods with details lurking in the shadows and an undeniable international touch”. The song ’T...“Dark moods with details lurking in the shadows and an undeniable international touch”.
  The song ’The Starlit Sea’ was described as
  ”...ready for the big venues with the effective stabbing guitars and the slowly, but intense development towards a roaring mix of noise and unique melodies.”

• This Band is Epic! [+ Show ]
  

  "...it's Swervedriving shoegazed Britpop with a nice Goth edge. This band is epic!" - The Big Take..."...it's Swervedriving shoegazed Britpop with a nice Goth edge. This band is epic!"
  - The Big Takeover, Print issue (May 01, 2012)

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