Razika Program 91
Published Aug 16, 2011
On "Youth," the leadoff track from Razika's debut, guitarist Maria Råkil cops the perfect Albert Hammond Jr.-esque guitar riff. But this works as homage, considering she was just ten when the Strokes broke. As four 19-year-old girls from Bergen, Norway, Razika present a fresh take on early '00s indie and garage on Program 91. Formed when they were 13, songs like "Vondt i hjertet" and "Eg Vetsje" sound inadvertently innocuous and fresh-faced, blending upstroke guitar with diminutive vocals. Singing in both Norwegian ("Nytt På Nytt," "Hvem Skal Tro På Deg Nå") and English ("Taste My Dream" and a cover of '60s countrymen the Pussycats on "Why Have We to Wait"), Razika's strength mostly lies in their American-sounding music, referencing twee, Spector and pop. Although Program 91 won't blow anyone's mind, the fact that Razika haven't parlayed the all-girl group thing into a gimmick (à la the Donnas or the Pipettes) shows that they can survive on good taste alone, if nothing else.
(Smalltown Supersound)