Bygdetrapen delighted in the idea of applying that sound to a genre so closely associated with urban life. \u201cWe thought it would be cool to make this kind of hard hip-hop in, like, this weird dialect that doesn\u2019t really have anything to do with hip-hop at all,\u201d Subaru explains.<\/p>\n
HC, who is soft-spoken in regular conversation, gives a driving force to that dialect with a delivery that is staccato and authoritative\u2014part drill sergeant, part machine\u2014though it should be noted that Bygdetrapen do not use autotune, preferring the raw, jagged edges of their own voices. \u201cMy father, he has always spoken [the dialect],\u201d HC says. \u201cWhen I found my voice and how I wanted to rap was when I imagined myself rapping how my dad speaks.\u201d Subaru\u2019s sound, by contrast, is warmer and softer. \u201cYou could say my voice is more boyish or less masculine, maybe. For Norwegian people I have a kind of childish tonality.\u201d<\/p>\n
The duo, friends since sixth grade, have been making music together for about three years (they both also have solo projects). They started to gain traction in January, with the release of \u201cArctic Cat<\/a>.\u201d The song and its relentless, driving beat were inspired by a visit to a gas station in a remote town, where Arctic Cat T-shirts were for sale. (Arctic Cat is a popular snowmobile brand.) \u201cIt sparked memories for us,\u201d Subaru says.<\/p>\n Blinding talent: Subaru and HC.<\/p>\n <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Benjamin Vik \/ @benni_vik<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Just as Bygdetrapen make use of the local sound, they have adapted the local uniform. \u201cWe use a lot of neon reflectors and camouflage because we\u2019re from places where people wear that normally,\u201d Subaru explains. \u201cWe really just want to push that because that\u2019s very, like, the opposite of what\u2019s cool in hip-hop, or whatever.\u201d The duo favor Swedish brands Bl\u00e5kl\u00e4der and Biltema, and they like shopping at cheap-workwear.com<\/a>. They\u2019ve also taken to covering their faces with balaclavas and ski goggles.<\/p>\n But even behind masks, Bygdetrapen are quickly gaining renown. They dropped Mixtape<\/em>, their first album, on the first Monday in May. Subaru is its main producer, though five other talents, including Swedes Gud (Carl-Mikael G\u00f6ran Berlander) and Woesum (Arthur Carl Nyquist), also made contributions. \u201cThey\u2019re doing something new that I\u2019ve never heard before,\u201d Woesum says. \u201cI\u2019m a big fan of their production and the direction they\u2019re taking their music. I think they can go a long way, and when they asked me to work with them it felt like a given.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/6a08cd7d6bf19c1b1796e9ee\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/bygdetrapen-ph-bennivik-2520.jpg\"\/)
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