Norway is no stranger to exceptional music, and we can now add Oksendal to that growing list. Spearheaded by Dagfinn Oksendal, Stay For Dinner brings influences as vast as David Bowie, Neil Young, and Jimi Hendrix to the table and unfolds like a very unique take on alt-rock sensibilities.

Oksendal puts one of the strongest tunes in the lead position as “Starstruck” yields summery guitar strumming and a swift pace that encompasses modern indie rock sounds as well as classic ideas of rock, and “The Sun” follows with crisp melodies alongside a brisk tempo as the smooth vocals fit the tunefulness of the track fluidly. “Like A Drum” steers us into calmer waters with acoustic guitars and soft percussion, and “Turning” brings us some folk-rock nods with guitar solos into a the cozy, eclectic affair. “Be As You Are” ends side A with an introspective, slow burning and atmospheric display of multifaceted talent.

“The Ferry” starts the second side with jangly pop sounds and breezy melodies complete with intricate guitar solos, the '90s college rock inspired “You Found Me,” and the more rugged and charmingly  jangly “Candid Eyes,” which is some version of alt-rock that's hard to dismiss as anything short of perfect. The title track closes the personal listen with a wandering, minimal tune that's vocally expressive and sounds a lot like an artist mulling things over.

If you want a physical copy of this one, it's only being released as vinyl, and the record comes with bright artwork that matches the vibrant music. Oksendal puts much personality and charisma into his varied form of rock. As far as debuts go, Stay For Dinner is an impressive one that's nearly breaking the Top 10 of the Euro Indie Music Charts and it will be exciting to see what these Norwegians come up with moving forward.

Rating: B

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