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Jul 21, 2026 Web Exclusive By Haydon Spenceley

Ea Othilde, is a 21-year-old musician from Oslo. Her first two albums, 2023’s Mary, Aren’t You Tired? and last October’s I Will Not Be Like That were nominated for Norwegian Grammy Awards. If you are an Ea Othilde aficionado you will already know this, but for the rest of us, we are in for one hell of a discovery.

Characterized as a singer/songwriter, Ea Othilde is, on the evidence of this excellent EP, more akin to an indie rock star in the making. The anthem that is opener “City of Love” sets things off as a mix of discordance, rolling rhythms, and Othilde’s Lotte Kestner-esque vocals carry the song along. That is until her vocals distort and the persistent snare drum and driving guitars take us to another place. It all falls away as quickly as it begins but it shows the inventive nature of the songwriting and production. When the section recurs later In the song it is undeniably satisfying.

“I Forgot You” comes off like ’90s slacker rock with a gorgeous and powerful chorus that never loses control, while “Room 21” showcases her vocals at their smoothest, with a rhythm section that could have been on Radiohead’s In Rainbows takes things in a series of twisting but always great feeling directions. The aforementioned Lotte Kestner/Trespassers William vocal connections are at their strongest here. No bad thing, it has to be said. “Florence” has another juxtaposition between a smooth and melodic verse with a powerful chorus and some equal parts enigmatic and deeply satisfying production and mix choices. You will find yourself nodding to it. It is undeniable. Closer “It Only Makes Me Bitter” has a skittering, ricocheting drum part and some more guitar and harmonic homage to Radiohead, which rounds out the EP in a beautiful and unconventional fashion.

Sometimes music comes along out of the blue and totally grabs you. That is what has happened here to me and I would be confident it will to you, too. (www.eaothilde.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 7/10