The influential Norwegian group a-ha will be reissuing their ninth studio album, Foot of the Mountain. Originally released in July 2009, the album will appear for the first time worldwide on crystal clear vinyl.
A-ha—Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen, and Morten Harket—formed in 1982. A few years into their career, the trio found success with “Take On Me.” The song’s music video, which mixed live-action and animation, was especially impactful and aired frequently on MTV. “Take on Me” helped a-ha to break through internationally and the song went on to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard charts, making a-ha the first Norwegian band to have a chart-topping hit in America.
On Foot of the Mountain, a-ha returned to their original synth-pop sound. In a contemporary interview, Furuholmen remarked that “It’s an album that incorporates the key elements that first defined the band: soaring vocals, synth hooks, yearning lyrics and melodic melancholia.” The album itself topped the charts in Germany and appeared in the top 10 in Norway and the UK.
The album was led by singles like “Foot of the Mountain,” “Nothing Is Keeping You Here,” and “Shadowside.” It also includes tracks like “Start the Simulator,” composed using Cold War-era Space Race technical jargon. “The basic idea,” Waaktaar-Savoy said, “was to make a song using only technical terms and phrases, and still make it very emotional and personal.”
Foot of the Mountain marked a comeback for a-ha. Ahead of the band’s Ending on a High Note tour, a-ha announced that they would disband. The group reunited five years later for a festival performance in Brazil and announced a “temporary return” with a new record, Cast in Steel, which included the song “Under the Makeup.” In 2022, a-ha released their 11th studio album, True North.
Order the a-ha album Foot of the Mountain on vinyl now.