Kings of Convenience are back with “Fever,” the second single released off of their first album in nearly 12 years, Peace or Love, which lands on June 18th.
It’s interesting to hear how the indie-folk duo has grown and matured over the last decade; while this latest track carries the same no-frills, acoustic, soft-focus production as its 2009 predecessor, Declaration of Dependence, it’s much more endearing, warm, and sophisticated. It showcases the development of the band not only as musicians but as individuals, too.
Kings of Convenience are masters of creating songs that get right to the heart of matters in a simple, straightforward and comforting way — unapologetically presenting their truth while making sure to soften the edges and cloud the borders so it’s never too much to bear.
“Fever” carries a slight Bossa Nova feel amidst gentle piano runs and a wash of strings, always underscored by pretty, soft, falsetto vocals. In an interview with Stereogum, vocalist Erlend Øye says of the track:
“There’s a song on the new album called “Fever,” and it actually has programmed drums on it, which we were a little bit worried about. We don’t normally use programmed drums. Will people kill us? Will they stop liking us? I don’t really think so. But I was more worried about something else. At some point I wrote the line, “Driving around on your scooter in Christmastime in funky clothes.” I felt like maybe those words were not part of the poetic canon. It’s much more prosaic. It’s a much more everyday kind of thinking. Some of my friends said, are you really sure about that line? Was it a big risk? I don’t know. Maybe nobody cares, but I think somebody somewhere will care.”
It’s this kind of mindfulness and quotidian relatability that make Kings of Convenience feel like home, no matter where in the world you are.
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