Falling on the musical spectrum somewhere between British stadium rock and American dance-pop, Norway’s Cars & Calories operate at a temperature that’s historically been a few degrees too hot for chilly Scandinavia. But that hasn’t stopped Michael Markussen and Jim André Bergsted (also members of the Moss/Tønsberg quintet Use Me). If anything, it’s egged on the duo, who over the last year have unleashed one burst of energy (“Here,” which music blog Scandipop likened to “Owl City twinned with a Norwegian village”) after another (“Runner-Up,” one of British music blog My Fizzy Pop!!’s Top 3 singles of 2013). Now, having teamed up with hitmakers from around the globe -- among them, Kevin Truckenmiller, lead singer of the American band Quietdrive; Germany’s Crush Boys (Monrose); and Charlie Mason (Girls’ Generation) -- the Oslo-based tag team is poised to conquer the world. They even snagged Marc McClusky (Weezer) to mix their new material. So brace yourself, planet -- once this firecracker is lit, there’s no unlighting it!


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