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“Bøe and Øye’s gossamer harmonies entwine around each other with nimble grace... they’ve never sounded quite as effortless – or as intuitive – as they do here.” – BBC.co.uk

“…a series of strangely gorgeous, breezy tunes from two awkward Norwegians who continue to remind us that love can be confusing, joy dark and pain very beautiful.” - Filter

Kings of downtempo, Kings of Convenience, after a five-year hiatus, have come up with a new long-awaited release that is sending fans into quiet raptures with its collection of softer-than-ever hushed-folk-pop tunes delivered with just two voices, two guitars and the occasional piano plink.

It’s been almost five years since Norwegian duo and unlikely leaders of the early 2000s’ New Acoustic Movement the Kings of Convenience unleashed a quiet storm internationally with its second album of soft acoustic folk-pop, Riot on an Empty Street. And against expectations that its third and newest album would weave in the duo’s more flamboyant half Erlend Øye’s house and techno interests, Declaration of Dependence sees the Kings going even softer, darker and sparser.

There is also a new honesty, emotional depth and maturity in this album. In the five years that have passed, Eirik Glambæk Bøe has become a father and Erlend has lived in Berlin fronting dance-pop band Whitest Boy Alive. Last but not least, the two, both now back home in their hometown of Bergen, have come to grips with their differences and their dependence on each other as a musical duo. These rites of passage now see the duo bringing to their latest collaboration in Declaration of Dependence a new assuredness, sharper songwriting, a deeper lyricism and an autobiographical candour.

“What we build is bigger than the sum of two” goes haunting album opener 24-25, followed by “So we meet again after several years, several years of separation. Moving on, moving around… Did we spend this time chasing each other’s tail?” in the jaunty Boat Behind, amidst a collection of unadorned, often bossa-nova-tinged and always emotionally-nuanced songs filled with confessions and reflections on everyday life, loss, politics, making music, romantic and bromantic relationships, a collection that seems a “quiet protest against loneliness”.

Fans of the Kings will, doubtless, be thrilled with this new material from the Kings. But non-fans with a penchant for quiet melancholy, Simon-and-Garfunkelish vocal harmonies, thoughtful lyrics and simple, subtle, finely-turned melodies will find themselves similarly caught in a dreamy thrall in this intimate Kings concert of delicately poised, pared-down dual guitar and soft vocals singing of grownup realities and dreams with the bittersweet hush of an autumn’s rainy day.

Purchase your tickets here: http://www.sistic.com.sg/cms/events/index.html?contentCode=kings0310