Poptones, comprising of Mads Bertelsen (vocals/bass), Simon Hiemstra (guitar), and Anders Poulsen (drums), formed on Denmark’s rural west coast in 2017. The trio create music that falls somewhere in the realm of experimental post-rock, and they rely heavily on improvisation which is where a lot of their unfiltered creativity flourishes. Their upcoming album, Pure, blends solo compositions with structured improvisations and features collaborators Oscar Alstrup (saxophone), Victor Kaas (EYES, LLNN), Rémy Gouffault (vibraphone), and Harald Ingvarsson (guitar). Poptones’ new single “Say Something Now” previews the upcoming record’s spontaneity and instrumental breadth: hushed vocals float over a hypnotic guitar line, while urgent drums drive the track forward.
The lyrics in “Say Something Now” trace a journey from hopeful daydreams about the future to a sobering realization that those visions were merely dreams. Yet the band expresses appreciation for this youthful optimism and forward-looking spirit. The chorus was inspired by an improvisational game the band invented during an artist residency at Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatory, in which UNO cards determined how they would play the music.
“The chorus was taken straight from that improvisation… Anders and Simon both drew red, meaning they had to play with intensity and unpredictability. Mads drew green with a ‘turn around’ card, so he had to play his bass backwards – fretting with his right hand. It led to this beautiful tension: the chaos of drums and guitar, anchored by a bassline that barely moves.”
-Poptones on “Say Something Now”
“Say Something Now” is released ahead of Poptones’ upcoming album, Pure, out September 26th, 2025 on Happy Metal Records. Preorder available here.
Leave a Reply