Danish experimental rock trio Poptones have announced the arrival of their sophomore album Pure, due out September 26, 2025, via Happy Metal Records. The news lands alongside the release of the album’s first single, “Skin of Sea”—a sweeping and atmospheric track that marks a bold evolution in the band’s sound.
Poptones
Emerging from a writing session in a secluded house in Northern Jutland—incidentally the final residence of former Danish Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag—Skin of Sea began as a spontaneous sketch. Within just a few hours, the trio had shaped its bones, guided more by instinct than deliberation. That raw, intuitive energy pulses through the track, which leans into simplicity and emotional clarity in ways not often seen in their earlier work.
“Intuitive ideas often have a clear sense of direction,” Poptones explains. “That was definitely the case with Skin Of Sea. It was a very inspiring process for us—different from how we usually write.” But it’s not just the writing process that has shifted. The band has expanded its sonic palette, embracing new instrumentation and collaborators. The outro to Skin Of Sea features an improvised saxophone solo by Oscar Alstrup, who has since become a regular contributor to both studio recordings and live shows. Vibraphone, slide guitar, and unconventional textures now sit comfortably alongside the band’s core setup, signaling a broader and more exploratory musical horizon.
The track is accompanied by a self-directed video that perfectly mirrors its mood: blurry, slowed-down visuals shot on a broken phone camera evoke themes of drift, distortion, and emotional dislocation. The visual treatment underscores the atmospheric pull of the song and hints at the introspective terrain explored on the album. Check it out below:
Pure follows 2022’s Between Darkness & Daylight and captures the trio—Mads Bertelsen (vocals/bass), Simon Hiemstra (guitar), and Anders Poulsen (drums)—at a moment of deep creative growth. Friends since adolescence, the three began playing music together on Denmark’s rural west coast before refining their craft at Copenhagen’s Rhythmic Music Conservatory. Known for fostering experimentation and genre-defying talent, RMC helped sharpen the band’s approach to composition, improvisation, and collaborative dynamics.
Their new material was developed across a patchwork of locations: Copenhagen, India, Italy, and again, the historical house in Northern Jutland. The resulting album is an eclectic 12-track journey that slides effortlessly between prog rock, indie, hardcore, and avant-garde textures. Notable guest appearances include Victor Kaas (of EYES and LLNN) on the punishing track Mirror World, as well as Rémy Gouffault (vibraphone) and Harald Ingvarsson (guitar) on the fully improvised pieces Asleep and Eyes Closed. The album was recorded by Peter Emil Sloth, mixed by Jens Ramon, and mastered by E.T. Master.
“Poptones is about building together, growing apart, and finding each other again,” the band reflects. “Through childhood, teenage years, and now adulthood, we’ve lived together, made music together, and shaped each other as artists and people.”
Set for release this September, Pure promises to be a landmark statement for Poptones—a record that challenges expectations while offering a deeply human, emotionally resonant listening experience. With new instruments, new voices, and a renewed sense of purpose, the band seems poised to stake an even stronger claim as one of the most compelling acts in Denmark’s underground rock scene.
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