Norwegian post-hardcore trio Hammok has signed with independent label Sargent House and will release their second album, When Does This Place Become Our Scene, on June 5. The record’s first single, “The Scene,” arrives with a stark, outdoor video directed by Christoffer Bya that places the band on a sheet of clear plexiglass — a visual that mirrors the album’s interrogation of community and visibility.
The new song was written while the band was on the road, as members processed encounters with local scenes and musicians who invest deeply in their neighborhoods. Frontman Tobias Osland says the music grew out of those conversations: a direct response to meeting people who treat DIY spaces and local scenes as something worth protecting and tending to.
From Oslo basements to a wider stage
Hammok — Osland on guitar and vocals, drummer Ferdinand Aasheim, and bassist Ole Benjamin Thomassen — have spent nearly six years refining a mix of punk, noise rock, and post-hardcore. They first surfaced with the 2022 EP Jumping/Dancing/Fighting and followed with a full-length in 2024 titled Look How Long Lasting Everything Is Moving Forward for Once, building momentum through touring and grassroots support.
Their upcoming LP is self-produced by Osland. Lyrically, it turns toward the mechanics of hardcore culture and the forces that shape it — lineage, belonging, and the digital pressures that complicate growing up today. At its core the record asks a personal but communal question: what does solitude mean in a world dominated by social media and curated communities?
That tension is apparent in both the lyrics and the band’s visual choices. The plexiglass in the video suggests transparency and separation at once — a fitting metaphor for scenes that are simultaneously open and guarded.
What listeners should know
- Release date: June 5.
- Label: Sargent House.
- Lead single: “The Scene,” with a Christoffer Bya-directed video.
- Production: Entirely produced by Tobias Osland.
- Themes: community, hardcore lineage, coming of age in the social media era.
The record’s questions have practical implications for fans and scene participants: it examines how local networks sustain artists, how newcomers find a place, and how online platforms change the expectations around belonging. For the many communities still meeting in DIY venues and shared living rooms, the album’s themes land on familiar ground.
Track-by-track, the album balances short, sharp bursts with longer, more textured moments. The full running order is below for those who want to get a sense of the record’s arc before its release.
- 01 The Scene
- 02 Semi-Automatic Machines
- 03 Blast Off (Blast Off) Blast Off
- 04 Gooning for Free
- 05 Bang
- 06 Groundbreaker
- 07 Tap Water
- 08 CND
- 09 Thirst
- 10 When the Kids Are Too Old to Cause a Scene
- 11 Confidence of a Beaten Horse
- 12 For My Friends
With this release, Hammok position themselves at an intersection of old-school DIY ethic and the realities of a digital age — asking whether shared spaces still form the backbone of underground culture, or if those spaces are changing into something else entirely. The album’s June arrival will be a moment to judge how those questions resonate beyond Oslo’s circles.
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Hello, I’m Atlas. I explore the latest musical releases for you and guide you to your next sonic favorites.