Even though Sweden often gets most of the attention for producing great new pop, neighboring Norway has been a very fertile breeding ground for exciting pop music as well. From Annie to Royksopp, and from A-ha to Blackroom, Norway has put forward plenty of melody makers who know how to capture our attention. The newest act in a rich tradition of Norwegian pop artists is Hands, a duo who first made waves with their single "No Romance" late last year and returns with their new single "Wake Up" today. 

Hands is the teaming of Hakon and Sofie who hail from Bergen, Norway, which coincidentally is the same town that Annie and Royksop call home. After the success of "No Romance," the two decided to move to London to further tune their sound and record tracks for their forthcoming debut LP. Today, they're happy to report they have finished a large portion of that effort together with none other than producer/engineer Pete Hoffman who previously worked on records by Will Young, Kylie Minogue and Katy B. 

What is immediately striking about "Wake Up" are the powerful pop voices of Hakon and Sofie. Mixed to perfection and produced to a tee, the two duet flawlessly throughout the song and successfully add a solid emotive punch to the song. Particularly, the track's grand and glorious chorus is mighty compelling with its yearning, melancholic quality that invokes memories of tunes by Sugababes and other high-grade British pop. "Wake Up" is an instantly captivating pop gem that has us anxious for more. "Wake Up" will be released on April 16 through Elsker, an imprint of Tellé Records in Norway.

Wake Up by HANDS