The band was formed in 1994, initially being a typical cover band playing songs by, among others, Pink Floyd. Around 2004-2005, the Norwegian musicians adopted the name Airbag. About the same time, the group, thanks to the Internet, released their first EP Come On In, which included four songs. The next EP/demo Sounds That I Hear was released in 2006, and in 2007 the last of the mini-albums, Safetree.
The activity of Airbag is an example of utilizing the power of the Internet and social media. Between 2006 and 2008, over 110,000 listens of individual songs by the band were recorded on their MySpace profile. It took a few more years for the band to mature and present their recordings in a concert environment. The group's concert debut with their own material took place in 2007. The musicians of Airbag supported bands such as: Riverside, The Pineapple Thief, and Gazpacho. The year 2009 was certainly a breakthrough for the Norwegians. The band's first longplay titled Identity received positive reviews from music press and fans.
Released in 2011, the album All Rights Removed was even more surprising. It is rare for a band to satisfy the heightened expectations of listeners after such a successful debut as Airbag presented. The album captivates from start to finish, the entire concept is coherent and allows for listening to the record with equal pleasure from the first to the last note. The third album of the Norwegians released in 2013 (The Greatest Show on Earth) was another musical journey through atmospheric soundscapes and serious themes. The Norwegians gifted listeners with sounds familiar from previous albums of the band, adding sharper and stronger, more metal sounds, which were recently offered to us by Steven Wilson in Porcupine Tree.
In 2014, the driving force of the band - guitarist Bjorn Riis, decided to present his solo work to the world, musically not too distant from Airbag's proposals. By the way, he invited two colleagues from the parent band to the recordings - drummer Henrik Fossum and vocalist Asle Tostrup, who this time took care of loops and effects. The main vocalist on the album was none other than Bjorn himself. The album 'Lullabies In A Car Crash' is a very personal and moving record. The lyrics express fear of abandonment, loneliness, and loss, while the music is a tribute to many musicians whose experiences and achievements had the greatest impact on Bjorn.
After a three-year break from the excellently received 'The Greatest Show on Earth,' the fourth studio work of the band appeared on the market. The album 'Disconnected' features six compositions connected by a common theme. Starting from the first track, the thirteen-minute title track, the listener participates in an extraordinary musical journey, full of lush soundscapes and arrangements, highlighted by soaring guitars and atmospheric vocal parts.
In June 2020, Airbag presented their fifth work 'A Day At The Beach,' again surprising with a high level and recognized by critics and fans as one of the most interesting releases of that year. The band had not yet had the opportunity to promote the aforementioned album in concerts due to the pandemic. They will only have the chance to do so now.
It is worth noting that Bjorn Riis is developing his very successful solo career parallel to the activities of the parent group. In 2022, he recorded his fourth solo album 'Everything To Everyone.' In the same year, the band appeared again in Poland - in Warsaw and Krakow.
The months following the aforementioned concerts were dedicated by the group to writing new material and recording it for a new album. Its announcement is the single 'Erase,' released on March 16, 2024.
An album titled 'The Century Of The Self' has been announced for summer, which Airbag will promote, also in Poland, on a concert tour. They will perform three times in Poland - on October 17 in Gdańsk, October 18 in Warsaw, and October 19 in Krakow.
Although they started as a club cover band, Airbag has become a band that has created its own unique musical style. The ubiquitous influences of classical music, progressive rock, electronics, and that Scandinavian 'element of melancholy' are hallmarks of the band's style. The musicians of Airbag create cinematic images and saturate them with emotions, drawing listeners into their unique world. The Norwegians play beautifully, with great musical sensitivity and a very thoughtful interpretation of the best prog rock patterns. The work of Airbag perfectly resonates with the sensitivity, aesthetic, and musical experiences of rock fans. Although the music of the Norwegian quintet can be heard to be inspired by bands such as Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Talk Talk, Radiohead, or the Norwegian A-HA, the music created by Airbag has left a strong mark on the musical market of the second decade of the 21st century.