Kings of Convenience Finally Return

The pair decided to take ANOTHER long vacation... will anyone still care?

By Blurt Staff

It's been nearly five years since we've heard from acclaimed Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience - now word arrives that Oct. 20 is the street date for their third album Declaration of Dependence. The band who coined the hipster catchphrase "quiet is the new loud" has been pretty, ahem, quiet since 2004's Riot on an Empty Street (Astralwerks), which itself had come after a lengthy hiatus from Eirik Bøe and Erlend Øye. Not that non-prolific suggests a lack of proficiency; to the contrary, the lush-yet-gentle sounds that are the Kings trademark simply get more full-bodied with time. So a new album from the band is reason to celebrate.

Here's the scoop on the new album, courtesy Astralwerks:

Declaration of Dependence, is a wonderful record for a lot of reasons. For one, Eirik Bøe is equally comfortable talking about the record's "serious ideas" and laughing about its' "hi-brow Bossa Nova" moments while his partner Erlend Øye is clearly thrilled by making, "the most rhythmical pop record ever that features no percussion or drums." For another, there is no one who makes records like they do. "When we started out we were afraid of sounding like other artists," Erlend says. "But now we feel pretty much alone."

Songs like "Second to Numb", "Rule My World" and "24-25" are as perfectly realized as anything they've ever written and Declaration of Dependence also marks the beginning of a new era for the duo. The record began to take shape in February 2007 when they met up on the same beach in Mexico that is pictured on the album's cover. The pair came together to play a concert in the city the following month, the first time they had appeared together in more than two years. They shared a feeling that there was another record to be made. "Really," says Eirik "We had no choice." Declaration of Dependence is the story of two people living two very different lives sensing that they are immensely more powerful together than apart.

Tracklisting:

 1.  24-25

 2.  Mrs Cold
 3.  Me In You
 4.  Boat Behind
 5.  Rule My World
 6.  My Ship Isn't Pretty   
 7.  Renegade   
 8.  Power Of Not Knowing
 9.  Peacetime Resistance   
 10.  Freedom And Its Owner   
 11.  Scars On Land   
 12.  Second To Numb
 13.  Riot On An Empty Street