Norway’s Airbag – who never shy away from heavy topics – tackle themes of cancel culture, division and rewriting history on sixth album The Century Of The Self. The record also takes their trademark guitar sound and elevates it with bold new sonics and production techniques. Guitarist Bjørn Riis tells Prog about its inspiration and creation.
“Our debut album, Identity, has just celebrated its 15th anniversary,” says Airbag guitarist Bjørn Riis with a hint of wistfulness. “I sat down and listened to the album yesterday, and I really think that we’ve come a long way. There have been some personnel changes, and we’ve evolved as a band in many ways, which I think is something that you can hear on this new album.”
It feels as though these Norwegians have been around for several decades, such has their impact been on the current progressive scene. Their current release, The Century Of The Self, is their sixth full album, and reaffirms their distinctive style that frequently hints at Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd. It’s probably such musical similarities that have led to criticism in some quarters, but is that something that bothers Riis? There are, after all, far worse acts that modern musicians could be compared to.
“Yeah, absolutely!” he says. “We grew up listening to Pink Floyd; they’ve been a huge part of our youth, our formative years as musicians and our early albums. We discovered Porcupine Tree when we started to write our own music – Porcupine Tree, No-Man and all of Steve Wilson’s and Tim Bowness’s projects have been huge inspirations.
“I grew up listening to Kiss, Black Sabbath, Zeppelin and stuff – what you now call classic rock. Progressive rock came to me much later. Our vocalist, Asle Tostrup, has been a huge Radiohead fan since the early 90s. I’m also a huge film score fanatic. I believe that once you put all of those influences into the pot, then that’s the Airbag sound.”
While that Airbag sound is readily identifiable, the band remain far from predictable. Their previous release, 2020’s A Day At The Beach, harked back to the 80s with era-stamped synth sounds combining with spacious film score cinematics. The Century Of The Self moves away from that template – not that it was a deliberate decision.
“The album originally started out as a continuation of A Day At The Beach,” says Riis. “It was more 80s-influenced stuff, with loud keyboards, but also with some new arrangements and a lot of guitars. At that time, it was actually a trio with myself and Henrik Bergan Fossum, who’s the drummer and our bassist. We spent about six months just rehearsing the songs and working out the arrangements. Doing that turned the songs into more of a classic rock thing, and it really became more of a power trio. We realised that the material didn’t fit the 80s synth approach that we had on the last album.
“So, yes, there are certainly some electronic elements on the album, but it’s much more organic this time around. The whole process took a couple of years. You know, we all have families and we have other jobs. So we really only have a certain amount of time to spend on the band. Two years is quite quick for us.”
We all talk a lot about what sort of society our kids are growing up in
Allowing material to organically grow has clearly been hugely beneficial. “Yeah, we don’t have a record company who are demanding a release,” says Riis. “We set a date when we wanted the album to be finished – we’ve learned that it’s important to have deadlines. If you don’t, you can just go on forever and go mad.”
Airbag have also avoided the temptation of making this concept album too long. It runs for around 45 minutes, which for many remains the perfect time. There are progressive acts who delight in cramming 84 minutes of music onto a CD, but it frequently means that tracks are padded out, diminishing the impact of the material. “It often does,” agrees Riis. “I still like the vinyl format. I want our listeners to have the same experience that I had growing up.
“It seems 40-45 minutes is just the correct time. There’s very little room for having bad tracks – you have to be very clear about what you want on the record. The concept has very much the vinyl format in mind. You have to have a strong opener, and you tell the story on side A. You then have a strong opener on side B and you close the whole concept at the end.”
The Century Of The Self addresses issues many are fearful of confronting. In an age of modern ‘woke’ McCarthyism – where a careless sentence can result in public, online flogging – Airbag are one of a number of acts who’ve rebelled against such restraints. “I don’t think that it was a deliberate attempt to be brave,” says Riis. “But we’re all closing in on 50. We all have kids and we talk a lot about what sort of society our kids are growing up in – the whole cancel culture thing and woke.
“I’m terrified of it because I want my child to grow up and to be able to speak her mind and to have opinions of her own. Hopefully, she’ll be creative and put out stuff, too. But no matter what she wants to do, I don’t want her to have to hold back or be cancelled, which is the worst-case scenario.
We debated whether it’s going to be just everything going straight to hell, or whether we have a more positive end
“But you see it all the time. It’s not that bad over here in Norway yet, but it affects politicians, movies and everything. When you look to the United States, I can’t imagine how it is to be an artist over there, or a politician. You put yourself on social media, put an album out, put a book out; and a minute later you’re cancelled. That’s a frightening thought.
“Tyrants And Kings is about people who force you to have an opinion that indoctrinates you in one way or another. I think together with the music – which is important to us – we told a powerful story. We have a strong voice on this album.”
Lyrically, on tracks such as Dysphoria, Erase and Tyrants And Kings, there’s a darkness that matches the oppressive subject matter and musical backdrop. Yet the album is far from a depressing listen; something that’s highlighted in the final track, Tear It Down, which provides an uplifting ending.
“With that one we debated whether it’s going to be just everything going straight to hell, or whether we have a more positive end. The lyrics are really a summing-up from all the other songs. But the message is: just tear it down. Wake up and start all over. Let’s go back to the values that we fought for.”
Another of Airbag’s defining features over their lifespan has been their distinctive cover art, designed by vocalist Tostrup. Previously, his work has had the air of Hipgnosis about it, not least on their last album that portrayed countless teddy bears, heads buried on a sandy beach. For The Century Of The Self, that glossy, imaginative design has been replaced by a solitary red ‘X’ on a black background. It’s an image that hints at censorship that ties in with the album’s concept.
I believe there’s something special about the prog community… it’s like being part of a big family
“Asle is a graphic designer, so he’s done all our artwork and promotional material,” explains Riis. “We had so many ideas for this cover, but we narrowed it down to this mark or ‘X,’ whatever you want to call it. I think it’s just a very strong image for the theme of the album.”
The band are have been touring over the summer and further dates are being scheduled for 2025. Although finances may not permit lengthy global tours, it’s clear that they adore performing live – something that was reinforced by their recent third appearance at Cruise To The Edge.
“That’s always such a great experience,” Riis says. “We get to see some excellent bands, meet friends and just have a good time. I believe there’s something special about the prog community. At events like that, it’s like being part of a big family.”
