Kings Of Convenience

Hailing from Bergen, Norway, the indie pop duo Kings of Convenience weaves delicate, harmony-laden tracks that evoke the poignant warmth once delivered by earlier acts such as Simon & Garfunkel and Belle and Sebastian. Their acoustic self-titled debut appeared in 2000, after which the follow-up Quiet Is the New Loud ascended to the summit of the Norwegian album chart in 2001. Over subsequent releases the pair broadened their sonic palette with more layered arrangements yet preserved an understated tone, as heard on the 2004 album Riot on an Empty Street, which reached number two domestically and entered the U.S. Billboard Independent Albums chart. Declaration of Dependence, issued in 2009, marked their first appearance on the Billboard 200 before an extended recording absence ended with the arrival of Peace or Love in 2021.

The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Erik Glambek Bøe and Erlend Øye. Following a string of well-received European festival shows in the middle of 1999, the former classmates secured a deal with the American imprint Kindercore and released their debut album the next year. Early 2001 brought Quiet Is the New Loud on Astralwerks, which topped the Norwegian chart; although many tracks overlapped with the Kindercore version, they were freshly recorded, sequenced differently, and supplemented by several new compositions. Later that year the remix collection Versus surfaced, incorporating reworkings by an eclectic roster that included Ladytron, David Whitaker, and Four Tet.

After a three-year break during which Øye issued the solo set Unrest in 2003 and established himself as an electronica DJ while Bøe completed his psychology studies, the duo reconvened for Riot on an Empty Street. The album climbed to number two in Norway and reached number 41 on the Billboard Independent Albums tally. A further stretch of inactivity, punctuated by Øye’s debut with his alternative dance outfit The Whitest Boy Alive, was interrupted by live dates in 2007 and 2008. In October 2009 Kings of Convenience returned with Declaration of Dependence, another top-ten Norwegian entry that debuted at number 112 on the Billboard 200.

Their longest period of silence spanned the following decade, although an aborted studio attempt occurred in 2016 alongside sporadic concert appearances. The duo resurfaced in June 2021 with Peace or Love, released via EMI and featuring two collaborations with Feist.