Any frills they might have dabbled with in the past have been stripped out, leaving only the bones of the songs and whispers of the rawest feelings. Stylish moves, perfectly played.
This is an album full of wistful, hushed vocals, gently plucked acoustics and some beautiful harmonies. No alarms, no surprises, but it does make for a lovely listen.
While this kind of music can have a tendency to fade into the background, there’s enough going on here to ensure that instead, the inclination is to come closer.
Peace or Love is a very pure album. It is a record of simplicities, subtleties and pure joy. And it is truly a wonderful thing to have a record that exudes happiness more than anything.
Songwriting this unadorned requires melodic strength and confidence, but the pair never waver from their acoustic guitars and occasional violin.
While Kings of Convenience don't cover fresh territory with Peace or Love, they do what they do as impeccably as ever here and offer a handful changeups and hummable tunes along the way. It should serve as a welcome return for any established fans.
With 11 tracks passing by in a breezy 38 minutes, Peace or Love ably picks up where the band left off on Declaration of Dependence, as if taking 12 years and several tries to finish a follow-up is totally normal.
From the start of their careers, Kings of Convenience have approached romance with suspicion. It was only natural, then, that the Norwegian folk-pop duo’s long-awaited fourth album, Peace or Love, would situate love as the antithesis to peace, as a force that works largely to bring trouble and pain.
Kings of Convenience have never needed to be revelatory to be worth listening to, and Peace or Love is just as endearing and enjoyable at a time when lighthearted fare might be hard to come by.
The sound of Peace or Love is unapologetically simplistic. It doesn’t break new ground for the band but in this case it’s a good thing.
Hanging everything they have on two voices and two guitars may seem unchallenging but the space that hangs in between the songs’ limited production speak as loud as the songs themselves.
After a 12-year hiatus, the Norwegian duo returns with an especially airbrushed take on easy-listening pop. At their best, the Kings sound deceptively effortless, but the facade is sometimes too smooth.
There are moments when you can almost hear the gurgle of a coffee machine in the back- ground, but Peace Or Love is sophisticated without being easy, a quiet storm all of its own.
Peace or Love, their first album in 12 years, is perfectly pleasant and familiar, the tracks tracing the well-trodden vicissitudes of love in tones so subdued that they’d seem hushed even when played at maximum volume.
In clarifying their sound so carefully, the duo may have left something of substance in the studio.
Peace or Love certainly won’t change anyone’s life, but anyone looking to soundtrack an early morning cycle through dew-dappled woodlands is in for a treat.
Rumours - 4/5
Rocky Trail - 4/5
Comb My Hair - 5/5 ❤
Angel - 3/5
Love Is A Lonely Thing - 3/5
Fever - 5/5 ❤
Killers - 4/5
Ask For Help - 3/5
Catholic Country - 3/5
Song About It - 4/5
Washing Machine - 5/5 ❤
It’s just so good to have them back. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel from their previous works, but after 12 years of absence, this is the perfect dose of what I needed.
It's like seeing a friend after a long period of time and realizing only then how dear to your heart he actually is. I saw them playing live in Belgrade in September 2022. "Killers" was particularly an enchanting experience.
Pausing putting out new music for well over 10 years and then just releasing this record, seamlessly blending in with everything Øye and Bøe made me fall in love with, is so wonderful to witness.
1 | Rumours 4:10 | 78 |
2 | Rocky Trail 3:30 | 85 |
3 | Comb My Hair 3:06 | 88 |
4 | Angel 3:15 | 76 |
5 | Love Is A Lonely Thing 2:45 feat. Feist | 75 |
6 | Fever 3:56 | 79 |
7 | Killers 3:53 | 79 |
8 | Ask For Help 4:07 | 73 |
9 | Catholic Country 3:01 feat. Feist | 80 |
10 | Song About It 3:04 | 74 |
11 | Washing Machine 2:45 | 74 |
#24 | / | NBHAP |