Elsa Søllesvik and Emilie Haaland Austrheim make up the enigmatic pop duo Elsa & Emilie. Hailing from Haugesund, Norway, these 20-year-old melodic prodigies have been composing music and performing together since the tender age of 13. After the enthusiastic response to the 2014 release of their debut album, Endless Optimism, the duo has resurfaced into the alt-pop atmosphere to tease out a taste of their forthcoming sophomore album with their newest single, “Au Volant.”
The opulent harmonies of Søllesvik and Haaland Austrheim hover over broody synths and tremulous percussion hits that give the duo’s vocals an illusory edge. Producer Kristoffer Bosaksen of acts like Highasakite and Emilie Nicolas composes a haunting ballad that foreshadows the tenebrous path that the duo is about to embark on with their music. The song resonates with the feeling of cold impressions, but the duo’s haunting delivery of the intrepid lines of the chorus displays their eloquence in moving onward beyond infantile personas.
Au Volant is available now on iTunes and Spotify.