On Tyranny: Brand-New Norwegian Post-Punks The Ape Are No-Holds-Barred When It Comes to Fighting Fascism
Heard of Norway band The Ape? Yeah, we hadn’t either, until we caught wind of them a few months ago. And when those winds blow in your neck of the woods, you’ll hear about the post-punks quickly as well.
The reason we’re starting this article with a focus on the Oslo band’s obscurity is because they’re already getting a big push on the strength of three singles that are not available, even though the full-length that will presumably contain them won’t be out until an undetermined release date next year, courtesy ofLoyal Blood Records.
The Ape consists of vocalist/drummer Johan Fredrik Bolli, guitarists Simen Trippestad and Johannes Amble, and bassist Kristian Leonhardsebn.
Some may interpret The Ape’s newbie status as a sign of weakness, that they haven’t amassed enough life experiences and that they’re too young to know what they’re talking about. Those critics are dead wrong, as proven by The Bad Penny‘s interview with the gang less than a month ago. Not only do they have their heads on straight, they’re astute about the political climate across the world, and thus earned themselves a spot as the last participants in our ongoing On Tyranny series.
Read it for yourself.
Congrats on your band getting ready to make its big introduction to the masses. Can’t say I know of any other debuts slated for release in 2027 that are getting teased already. Why did you feel the time was right to step out now as opposed to a year from now?
Thank you! Well, since the tech-oligarchs pretty much have fucked up everyone’s attention spans, one kind of needs to hammer in the point, again and again, and over a good amount of time – before it finally sticks.
“Touchy” and your first LP are being touted as dealing with maturity and getting older, yet it seems like at least some of your lyrical focus is on coupons and robot vacuum cleaners. How do you reconcile those two fixations?
Getting older does not necessarily mean maturing. “Touchy” is a song about being “stuck,” while the time flies. Life can change without you noticing, while you’re busy doing completely mundane shit. You look around and realize that years have passed, even though some part of you feels like it’s been standing still. So this specific single is more about not maturing, honestly.
What was the moment you guys decided you were ready to formally form a band?
About three to four awesome demos in, we were like, “YUP! This is good shit. Let’s go.”
Please pardon what will probably be the question you’ll get most tired of answering, but why did you decide to use the band name “The Ape”? Was “The Apes” already taken?
Hard to answer. For this question, we refer to this passage from THE GREAT APE LEXICANA:
“THE APE
/ði eɪp/
Noun phrase
1. Zoology., a member of the Hominidea
2. Psychology., a dual condition in humans: simplistic imitation and reactive violence, paired with potential for growth, evolution.
3. Anthropology., a self-organizing collective defined by mutual care, accountability, and anti-fascist ethos
4. Musicology., blend of dark post-punk and volatile hardcore with grandiose rock n’ roll
5. Mythology., a journey”
When did you start writing your songs, and how come you chose to go in a zany route when the world is essentially burning down and fascists are taking control, country by country?
Our first demo came about in like 2022 or something. So these things have been cooking for a good while now. Our palette is pretty broad, and even if we’re rooted in rock and hardcore, we don’t limit ourselves when it comes to genres and moods. Too much cool stuff to make to give a shit about that stuff. “Touchy” plays on melancholic naivety and personal experiences – in a surfy/indie kind of packaging – while our prior single, “ANTICRATS” is pure hardcore and fascist-hate. Like fantasising about certain autocrats and their lackeys offing themselves with their own semi-automatics.
Are you fans of Brainiac? Les Savy Fav? The Velvet Underground (because of bananas)? What other inspirations have I failed to mention?
Those are great bands! We’ve all listened to so much music through the years, it’s hard to pinpoint just a few inspirations. Jazz, techno, classic rock, noise, kraut, metal, list goes on. Some mentions that at least are comparable to our current sound: Honningbarna, Birds in Row, The Armed, Show Me the Body, Metz, Daughters …
What can people expect from your live performances?
Intensity, and a call for us to be together in our rage. A trend in hardcore seems to be scaring the shit out of your audience, kind of pushing it away. We don’t want that. We want people close, involved and completely in it with us.
That’s some wicked rad album art you have planned for your first album. Who made it, and did you provide any direction?
The covers for the singles “grownboyhood.” and “ANTICRATS” are made by our vocalist Johan, while the art for “Touchy” is made by his girlfriend. DIY shit!!!! We’ll probably keep doing things inhouse for now.
What are your aspirations as a band?
Nothing original or revolutionary here I’m afraid. We just want to keep writing good songs, play lots of shows, meet great people, and speak up against unjust fuckery.
What can we expect next from The Ape? More singles, even though you’ve already released three for an album that won’t be coming out for at least 14 months?
One or more singles before releasing our first album in early-ish 2027, and a lot of shows!
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Learn more about The Ape and snag their swag, music, T-shirts and all the rest at The Ape’s Facebook page.
Check out The Bad Penny‘s ever-growing On Tyranny archive, which features interviews with artists ranging from Cheap Perfume to Crotches to Gottlieb to Haggus to Jacob the Horse to Major Spark to MyVeronica to Nixil to Pilgrims to Schkeuditzer Kreuz to Sweat to UK Subs.
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