Hunting High and Low

This album perfectly captures sophisticated 1980s synth pop at its most glamorous. Itchy beats, bright, extroverted synths and vocals that yearn for connection in a slightly detached, otherworldly way. The two singles are huge, but there are plenty of other stand out moments, such as The Blue Sky’s hypnotic, overlapping vocals.

Sure, the three guys from Oslo landed an enormous hit with 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗢𝗻 𝗠𝗲, complete with one of the most memorable music videos ever. And 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗧.𝗩. proved it wasn’t a one-off. But beyond those peaks, 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘸 feels a bit underwhelming. It’s a polished synth-pop debut with moments of real charm, yet as a whole it never quite matches the excitement of its biggest singles. A decent album — just not a particularly compelling one.

I really liked Hunting High And Low. I'm not super well versed in this band since all i really knew them for is Take On Me but i found so many songs on this album that are great alongside that song. This is mainly an album that lives and dies on it's singles which are all great listens. I really enjoy how synthy and melodic a lot of them are and just how well they capture the spirit of the 80s. They may not be the most timeless thing ever but i still enjoyed them even though i never grew up with this album (It did come out 19 years before i was born after all). No matter what time i listen to this, it will always be a great listen.
Best Song: Take On Me
Worst Song: And You Tell Me

Tááááááááááááke on me. Wat een draak van een nummer. Die verlengde-lettergrepen-allergie van me, speelt hier flink op. De typische jaren '80 klanken zijn totaal niet interessant en de vrolijke toon maakt me alles behalve vrolijk. Nee, niet mijn smaak.

Dit nummer is een soort uitvergroting van de rest van het album. De rest valt me daardoor eigenlijk wel mee. Maar goed, dat is daardoor allemaal weer een stuk saaier. Ergens is het ook wel knap. Vrij bombastische muziek als in Hunting high and low toch slaapverwekkend kunnen maken. Maar voor die kunde deel ik geen sterren uit.

Albums from one-hit wonders are always a funny mix - songs that inevitably end up feeling like rough drafts, rehearsals, first takes, knock offs, or siblings/cousins of the anthem. This follows the script...but Take on Me is such a mega-hit and really stands up despite the overplay, hyper commercialization, endless parodies and use as shorthand for cheesy 80s mass culture. The rest is pillowy synth pop, all neon moods, glossy surfaces with dark undertones, and the jarring juxtaposition of earnest crooning with totally artifical instrumentation from the synths to the drum machines and produced to death bass sounds. The sound of the spirit become ensconsed in the digital cocoon, and at once lamenting and delighting in it.

A very middling 80's synth-pop album. They are from Norway, they have the one really popular song, that's about it. Not really a fan of Take on me but I did enjoy it this time around. Rest of the album isn't bad but isn't what you couldn't find elsewhere.

I went into Hunting High and Low curious to see whether a-ha were more than just one iconic song. I’m happy to say this album proved they absolutely are.

Hunting High and Low is pure 80s pop—undeniably of its time and occasionally a little dated—but it’s packed with strong, well-crafted songs. Tracks like Here I Stand and Face the Rain and The Sun Always Shines on TV show real depth beyond the hits, while Take On Me remains an all-time classic for good reason. If someone asked what the 1980s sounded like, this album would be a perfect answer.

It’s catchy, confident, and far more consistent than I expected. I’ll definitely be coming back to this one.

Favourite track: Take On Me – an absolute pop classic
Least favourite track: Nothing truly bad here; some songs may start to feel a bit samey over time
Album artwork: A very cool, unmistakably 80s cover that fits the sound perfectly

Honestly i had a feeling i’d like this one, but it really is better than i expected it to be. Not a huge 80s new wave fan, but this is a bop.

I wanted to love it but in the end I just like it.

1) I had only ever heard “Take On Me,” which is obviously legendary. So I was happy to hear that it’s a new wave album and not twelve different versions of the same thing.

2) But it never quite solidified into anything that felt essential or compelling to me. Not driving enough to be like the new wave I like most, not quirky or spacey enough to be like the synth pop I like most.

3) I appreciated the ideas behind a few of the songs and would be happy to encounter them again, but I don’t think I’ll ever wake up feeling like I have to listen to this album today. It’s too bad because it was close… I might have given it 3.5 or 7/10 on a different scale.

I liked this a lot less than I thought I would.

Album voller Emotion und Eleganz! Es vereint Synthpop-Perfektion mit tiefgründiger Melancholie. Neben dem Welthit „Take On Me“ glänzt besonders „The Sun Always Shines on T.V.“ mit dramatischer Intensität und epischem Sound. Jeder Song ist ein atmosphärisches Erlebnis – ein Klassiker, der immer wieder begeistert. 😊

One of the best Pop songs of the 80s is on here. Over time, Take on Me has become the thing everyone still remembers...and rightly so as it's just a perfect Pop song. But the album it comes from is a gem also.

The surprising thing is how much variety there is on this album. It's got a couple of filler tracks (The Blue Sky for example), but the rest is a great listen that actually opens up with repeated listening as there's some depth to it. It's not just takes of Take on Me.

The album closer (Here I stand and face the rain) is a cracking tune and leaves you with the distinct impression there's more to come from this band. Ironic as I don't think they ever bettered it.

Stands as a good Pop album of the 80s. Solid 3

I now know why I have only ever heard one song from the album

This is not all that great and inconsistent

This is a pretty good if very dated pop/new wave album. Some of the songs are really good, but the album is more as a time capsule for the 1980s than an all time classic. Either way, I'd take this over yesterday's Ryan Adams album any day of the week.

Я дуже люблю і поважаю цей гурт, але їх пізній період мені подобається набагато більше.

The Good: We finally get it… at least the band’s name!
The Bad: We don’t fully understand what they are hunting for…
The Ugly: The falsetto…

Take on me… to think that I always thought the girl in the video was of Scandinavian roots too… yet no…

This is high-level ‘80s pop, made by 3 lads from Norway. I always wondered why they looked so pissed off, guess that is the Norwegian way of looking cool?

There really isn’t much I can complain about this album. It made me want to listen to some better stuff… so I will play Tears for Fears next…
Still, good job to a-Ha!

4*

Oh boy! ANOTHER cookie-cutter 80s euro-pop album! I'm so glad I heard this before I died! *sad trombone* *fart noise*

Take on Me is a classic example of 1980’s pop. The rest of this album is instantly forgettable.

This album is just fine, Take on Me is obviously incredible but none of the other songs are of the same quality. Some are pretty good though, like The Sun Always Shines on TV, and the closer. Overall though it is a bit too melodramatic and "80s sounding" for me though.