Dark Times

Emerging Gothic Rock Ensemble

The no wave/hardcore punk outfit Dark Times sprung from the elusive Black Hole Crew (Haust, Okkultokrati and more), and, already with their first 7″ and demo cassette, achieved a high standing in the Oslo underground in 2011. The band were hailed by NME and Brooklyn Vegan, and became the first Norwegian band ever to be profiled in the American punk-rock bible Maximum Rocknroll - still armed solely with the cassette and 7". Produced by Pål Bredrup of Okkultokrati and Haust, their second 7″, Girl Hate, was released in 2012 on the Norwegian independent label Fysisk Format, also home to several of the other Black Hole Crew bands. The band consists of guitarist/lead singer AK and drummer Rikke, who both have a history of working in student radio. Barytone guitarist Sebastian Rusten is also a notable illustrator, with artwork for all of the Okkultokrati-releases as well as Dark Times’ first 7″. The group’s stylish monochrome and precise blend of no wave, noise rock and hardcore punk have led to comparisons to Black Flag and the early output of Sonic Youth, Mudhoney and PJ Harvey.