The album cover features a photo by Stian Andersen

True August Waaktaar Savoy released his first album Breathing Room last Friday, June 9th, four years after his self-titled debut EP from 2019, and it’s now available on all streaming platforms through the family label Eleventeen Records.

Leading up to the release, there have been a string of singles and music videos, the latest being “Felt It In Stereo”.

“With this album and its accompanying music videos, I’ve created a piece of work that I’m very proud of. I have worked hard through every step of the process to produce something that feels personal to me, both musically and visually, and my greatest ambition now is to get the album out there – and make it heard”, True August told Norwegian news agency NTB in an interview last week.

The album has been mixed by Matias Tellez, who also mixed Paul’s songs on True North, while the mastering was done by Joe Lambert, who has worked on several Savoy projects. Paul has also been involved and apparently plays drums on the album, like he did on the 2019 EP.

“When it comes to music, I’ve had the privilege of growing up watching my parents making music and solving problems together. Music is something we’ve always done together as a family, and it feels very natural. My father has constantly been working on music in the studio since I was little, and I’ve learnt a lot of tips and tricks over the years”, True August says in the NTB interview.

VG‘s reviewer Tor Martin Bøe gives the album 5/6, saying it has “its heart set in the synths of the eighties, but its brain set in the pop qualities of our time“. He goes on to say that Breathing Room features “some of the finest songs this year, regardless of genre.”

For more info about True August’s music, visit his official website at trueaugust.net