- Scoundrel Days -remastered And Expanded-...: A-ha

Let’s settle a bet right now.

And thanks to the new reissue, we finally have the sonic proof. The Difficult Second Album That Got It Right Released in 1986, Scoundrel Days was the hangover after the party. The band (Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen, and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy) had just conquered the globe with Hunting High and Low . They could have written Take On Me 2.0 . Instead, they did something brave: they turned the lights down and the angst up.

This wasn’t a pop album about cartoon lovers. This was an album about paranoia, fractured relationships, and cold-war anxiety. The title track alone, with its clanking, industrial percussion and lyrics about a “scoundrel day” where nothing feels safe, is a masterclass in Nordic melancholy. The original 1986 CD and vinyl pressings were great, but they were thin . The synths often felt like they were competing with Harket’s voice.

When you hear the name “A-ha,” you think of one thing: the cliff-jump music video for Take On Me . That high-octane synth riff. The pencil-sketch rotoscoping. Morten Harket hitting that note that makes dogs howl.

But here’s the truth no casual fan wants to admit: Scoundrel Days is the better album.

9/10 Essential for: Fans of Prefab Sprout, The Blue Nile, Talk Talk, or anyone who thinks "sad boy synth music" peaked in 2024. (It actually peaked in Oslo, 1986). Listen to: Scoundrel Days (Remastered) – Available now on 2xLP vinyl and Dolby Atmos streaming.