Press « Sondre Lerche – Official Website

Press

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

4.5 out of 5

“Lerche’s songwriting is tricky but light on its feet, emotionally nuanced and quick-witted, too. His voice is rich and sweet, the musicians he plays with are always good, and his musical taste is always spot-on.

Heartbeat Radio not only keeps with this tradition, but it’s his best work to date. Rather than being some kind of surprising U-turn, the album is a consolidation of everything he’s done so far. It has his best songwriting, most effective vocals, and most accomplished sound, and stands as some of the best modern pop around at the end of the decade.”

- All Music Guide, on the 2009 album Heartbeat Radio

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

3.5 out of 4

“”Wait till you hear the refrain,” sings Sondre Lerche in the title track of his new album, “Heartbeat Radio.” That’s not bad advice: No matter what genre he’s working in — fuzzy garage rock, breezy vocal jazz, acoustic folk-pop — this young Norwegian singer-songwriter crafts catchier choruses than many musicians who’ve been working twice as long as he has. His refrains always pay off.

“Heartbeat Radio” is Lerche’s most eclectic outing yet, with no overarching concept beyond a consistent level of excellence.”

- Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, on the 2009 album Heartbeat Radio

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

8/10 stars

“Pop prodigy matures into cool, composed maestro: On his previous offerings, this Norwegian singer-songwriter has been a smooth jazz crooner, a spiky pop-rocker, and a simpatico soundtrack composer. With Heartbeat Radio, Lerche aligns all his identities: Gentlemanly melodies glide across elegant guitars and High Llama Sean O’Hagan’s swelling string arrangements. Living in cramped New York apartments has sharpened both Lerche’s wit and feng shui – a heightened wryness now complements his compositional facility, and every banjo and trombone filigree feels essential.”

- SPIN Magazine, on the 2009 album Heartbeat Radio

Monday, August 17th, 2009

“One of the most talented new names in contemporary pop.”

- Los Angeles Times

Monday, August 17th, 2009

“Spunky winners like the title track suggest that Lerche has absorbed the early work of his tourmate Elvis Costello…In the end, another reminder of a budding talent…”

- Rolling Stone, on the 2007 album Phantom Punch

Monday, August 17th, 2009

“The combination is irresistible. The full-frontal pop of “Say It All,” the woozy morning-after reflection of “Tragic Mirror ,” and the 1980s no-wave energy of “John, Let Me Go” all showcase Lerche’s ability to craft jaunty songs that hold up nicely in their newly sweaty surroundings.”

- The Boston Globe, on the 2007 album Phantom Punch

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

“…Norway’s Sondre Lerche, a ridiculously talented, outrageously gorgeous 25-year-old who’s already released two albums of zingy, part-Elvis Costello, part-Prefab Sprout, classic pop.”

- The Guardian, on the 2007 album Phantom Punch