MÍO - “Hva Nå?”
After much anticipation riding off their debut hit Ingen Tid å Miste, the Oslo underground heartthrobs of MÍO are finally back with their sophomore endeavor, Hva Nå? Considering the high expectations and pressures coming off such a successful debut, there could not be a more apt name for this record. As you all know, Ingen Tid å Miste earned the top spot on my 2023 top 10 list, but I was just one of many who felt so strongly about it. The witches of MÍO were in fact spellbinding the hearts of listeners and fans the world over with their truly individual, free-spirited sound. All these years later, I still stand by what I’ve said before: not only does MÍO weave a musical experience like no other, but their electrifying live performances put them in a league of their own. Between the quality of the record itself and their growing reputation for spirited, energetic live performances, MÍO’s 2023 debut was nothing short of an absolute success, further solidified by their 2025 signing to ByNorse.
But there’s a caveat: any band to have a debut as successful as MÍO’s can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing, in the obvious sense that having a successful debut album is the best thing any band or artist can ask for, and in MÍO’s case, it was very much deserved. It can be a curse, though, in that it sets up a unique pressure and expectation for how they follow through on that success. A pressure that I wouldn’t wish on my greatest enemy, and one I certainly wouldn’t want for myself. But that’s the music business, and I’ve been wondering how these musicians were going to tackle this inevitable challenge.
Ingen Tid å Miste had the benefit of being without precedent, but you can only pull that off that once, and the sophomore album is the arena in which a band like MÍO needs to buckle in and put in the work needed to follow through under the weight of a whole new set of expectations. With these realities of the sophomore album in mind, I’ve been curious, if not a bit wary, of what happens when that novelty inevitably wears off. Would they conjure up a second record that stands on its own legs, or would they always be striving for, and not quite reaching, the heights of their inaugural album? These are the kinds of questions Hva Nå? needs to answer when we finally hit play.
With the title track, “Hva Nå?”, the record begins with something completely different – a bass solo. Marianne’s bass contradicts the gentle opening of the last album here with a snarling bass riff, then supported by Eilif’s drums, Maja’s fiddle, and Hennie’s synth to musically depict that very buildup – the anticipation - I was just talking about. The intro resolves into a fiddle riff from Maja, reminding us that this is indeed a folk-rock band, before giving way MÍO’s secret weapon: Dionisia Fjelldalen.
I won’t stand on ceremony here: Dio is a monster of a vocalist. Not only does she have the chops, the versatility, and the stage presence (I’m starting to suspect a deal with some devil or troll is at play here) but she has character. For many, myself included, Dio is MÍO’s binding agent, and in this record, with so little studio magic standing between you and her voice, the power is on full, confident display from the first breath to the last. But don’t be mistaken: an acrobatic vocalist like Dio cannot stick the landing without a reliable rhythm section to support everything, no matter how talented. In other words, the rhythm section’s rock-solid foundation is what gives a singer like Dio the freedom needed to thrive. This synergy and mutual trust is what makes MÍO work.
What becomes clear as the album goes on is a solid step up in songwriting from the last record. The verses, bridges, and choruses are all more fluid, with the instrumental parts more finely woven between. The lyrics come naturally with the melodies, as if the two are inextricably linked with one another, calling to mind the same way Lindy Fay-Hella’s lyrics and melody mingle as one with Dei Farne. This is most apparent in “Kanke se for meg”, the chorus of which still sticks with me while writing this review as one of the highlights of the record. The music simply flows.
There is also a playfulness, as there was in the last album, which is more central to the songs themselves this time around with Dio often feeling as if she’s “playing” the band like on puppet strings with her voice – a really hard dynamic to pull off as such a large band. “Kanke se for meg” again shows one of the best examples of this about halfway through the track with the lyrics “de vil bare ha og bare ta” – the staccato on the repeated “ah-ah” never fails to get a smile out of me. I’m using “Kanke se for meg” as the exemplary track for much of this conversation, but these are aspects of the songwriting and performance that carry throughout the entirety of Hva Nå?
With the intermezzo “Det var en gang…” the album takes a fresh turn towards a more aggressive/punk attitude introduced by Dio’s story of selling her soul to Satan (she told the same story at Midgardsblot 2023, and it was that exact moment, dawning a plastic set of devil horns, that she won over that crowd). If the first half of the record carries echoes of Ingen Tid å Miste, the second half fully embraces that folk rock/punk side of their style that reminds us of their roots in the Blitz scene while also showing some promising paths outward stylistically from their already eclectic sound.
Credit must be given to the dedication MÍO shows to the “folk” aspect of their sound. Rather than just peppering some token fiddle here and there and calling it folk rock, the inspiration from the tradition shows in the textual references as well as the musical. Gamle-Erik is a beloved (would that be right word?) character of Norwegian folklore, as can also be said for the Nøkken. On the Gamle-Erik track, Marianne translates that ultra-Norwegian sound of the droning Lydian gesture typical of the Hardanger fiddle to the bass to set the infectious groove for the tune. Then, Det er meg det samme hvor jeg havner når jeg dør and Byssan lull are themselves deep cuts from traditional Norwegian repertoire as well, with the latter given this heavy doom metal flair led by Maja’s fiddle and Hennie picking up the horns. So, this last half of the album can be summarized by taking a book of Asbjørnsen and Moes fairy tales and slapping a fuzz pedal on it, and I am absolutely here for it.
The album ends on an intimate, DIY note for “Hva gjør vi nå?” which feels like an homage to their roots in the punk scene. It is very much a live studio recording feel, with all of the open-air sound of the all the hot mics going at once, even picking up the clicks of the pedals and the shuffling in the chairs. It does truly feel like you’re in the room with them, with fourth wall coming down, so to speak, to invite the listener into their space at the very end almost as a little reminder that they’re just a bunch of musicians making music together. It was a memorable and charming way to sing out the album. A feeling that sticks with you long after record stops spinning.
I opened the review with talking about the relationship this album would have with the expectations and pressures presented in following up their debut album Ingen Tid å Miste, especially in my case giving that album the #1 spot in my 2023 album list. But, as the anticipation settled as I got a few minutes into the opening track, those expectations gave way to something more realistic – the joy and privilege of hearing a group of young musicians with such talent and spirit come together to make something beautiful, genuine, and raw. It only took a couple of tracks to realize, what might seem obvious to you, dear reader, that I was going into this new album with the wrong attitude - comparison. Without getting too existential, it’s kind of like getting older, when nostalgia keeps us from appreciating the present for what it is as we constantly compare everything to the past with rose-tinted, stubborn wonder.
So, with that moment of clarity, how does Hva Nå? Stand up to those questions? It rejects them. It doesn’t need to prove anything, because they already have. If this was their debut album it would have left just as powerful of an impression on me – the impression that there is a band of punks from Oslo that weave a musical experience unlike any other in a time when so much music just sounds the same. The impression that each and every member of MÍO can bring so much of their own soul to a record, but at the same time, work as one band toward an artistic vision. When that novelty does wear off (and wear off, it will!) what’s left standing is even better – it’s something real.
With this record, MÍO has shown that they will not just be a flash in the pan. When push comes to shove, they put their heads down and put the work in, and that’s the sign of a passionate, dedicated group of musicians. Between Ingen Tid å Miste and Hva Nå?, MÍO has somehow managed to pull off two solid albums that only compliment one another in a way that eludes exact explanation. Just as on the debut record, each and every track stands on its own, while together, weaving a captivating journey through moods, textures, and styles. With Hva Nå?, Mío continues to show us that they have something special – something magic - that can’t be captured in an album review. You’ll just have to listen to it yourself.
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