Copenhagen’s genre-hopping experimental rock trio Poptones are back—and things are about to get real lush. They’ve just announced their second album, ‘Pure,’ landing September 26th on Happy Metal Records, and to kick things off, they’ve dropped the first single, Skin of Sea. Spoiler alert: it’s a stunner.
The track marks a noticeable shift in tone for the band—grander, dreamier, and full of that wide-open emotional space that begs to be played on repeat during late-night walks. It all started during an improvisational session in a house up in Northern Jutland—random trivia: it’s where Denmark’s former PM Jens Otto Krag died. Eerie vibes? Maybe. Inspired creativity? Definitely.
Skin of Sea came together fast—like, really fast. “It went from zero to a finished sketch in just a few hours, which is not our usual vibe,” the band shared. “It’s a more intuitive track, built on simplicity. There’s something powerful about working quickly and not overthinking every chord.”
This song also marks Poptones’ first real flirtation with some new toys: vibraphone, slide guitar, and a killer sax solo courtesy of Oscar Alstrup. That dreamy outro? Yeah, that’s him going off in the best way. He’s now a regular in their live lineup and a fixture in the studio too.
The band—Mads Bertelsen (vocals/bass), Simon Hiemstra (guitar), and Anders Poulsen (drums)—have been making music together since their teenage days on Denmark’s windy west coast. These three grew up together, lived together, and then studied together at Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatory, a hotbed of genre-bending creativity. That shared history shines through in everything they do.
The video for Skin of Sea is a mood of its own—self-shot, slowed way down (to 20% speed!), and full of lo-fi, half-submerged visuals that make you feel like you’re watching a dream dissolve in real time. Perfectly matches the song’s vibe: drifting, emotional, a little distorted, a little magical.
As for ‘Pure,’ the new album is a wild ride through prog, indie, hardcore, and avant-rock. The band recorded it across Copenhagen, India, Italy, and—you guessed it—Northern Jutland. It’s a mix of solo sketches and collaborative jams, making for a 12-track journey that’s equal parts raw and refined.
There are some killer guests too—hardcore vocalist Victor Kaas (of EYES and LLNN) lends his voice to Mirror World, while vibraphonist Rémy Gouffault and guitarist Harald Ingvarsson jump in on two fully improvised tracks, Asleep and Eyes Closed.
Poptones had help shaping ‘Pure’ from a dream team: Peter Emil Sloth on recording duties, Jens Ramon on mixing, and mastering magic by E.T. Master. The result? A sonically rich, emotionally layered follow-up to their 2022 debut, ‘Between Darkness & Daylight’.
The band puts it best: “Poptones is about building together, growing apart, and finding each other again in a new and different light. Through childhood, teenage years, and now adulthood, we’ve lived together, made music together, and shaped each other as artists and people.”
‘Pure’ is out September 26th. Pre-order or pre-save it now so you don’t miss the wave.
‘Pure’ track list
- Skin of Sea
- Say Something Now
- This Will Be a Good Day
- Asleep
- Mirror World (feat. Victor Kaas)
- O of Life
- Narrow Streets
- 17 Hours
- Thin Air
- I Am Here
- Hypnagogic State
- Eyes Closed
Pre-order ‘Pure’ here.
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