by Jason Birchmeier
Hej Matematik! are a Danish pop duo whose 2008 full-length debut album, Vi Burde Ses Noget Mere, spun off a series of singles and was commended for its smarts. The duo is comprised of Nicolaj Rasted and his uncle Sren Rasted, the latter of whom enjoyed years of success in the dance-pop group Aqua, best known for their 1997 international smash hit "Barbie Girl." Nicolaj and Sren Rasted made their recording debut as Hej Matematik! in summer 2007 with the single "Gymnastik," followed by "Centerpubben" later in the year. In 2008 they released Vi Burde Ses Noget Mere on the independent Copenhagen Records label, plus a number of singles including "Du & Jeg" and "Walkmand." Among these singles, "Walkmand" proved especially popular as something of a summer anthem, and peaked at number three on the Danish singles chart. The popularity of "Walkmand" -- originally released as a one-off single -- was such that an appended edition of Vi Burde Ses Noget Mere was released in July 2008 and broke into the Top Five of the Danish albums chart by the end of the summer (after peaking at number 15 upon its original release in February of that year).