Kings of Convenience

Kings of Convenience

Kings of Convenience are a Bergen duo formed in 1999 and active to the present. The group consists of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, who met as children at a geography competition. Their music is based around acoustic instrumental playing, two voices, delicate melodies and a restrained style that is often described as folk pop, indie folk and indie pop.

Career

After gaining attention through a run of well-received European festival appearances in summer 1999, the duo signed to the US label Kindercore and released their self-titled debut the following spring. Quiet Is the New Loud follows in early 2001 on Astralwerks. That album uses many of the same songs as the first release, but in a different order and with several tracks replaced by newer material. Later in 2001 they issue the remix album Versus, which includes remixes by Ladytron, avid Whitaker and Four Tet.

After a three-year break, during which Øye releases the solo album Unrest in 2003 and gains recognition as an electronica DJ, while Bøe finishes a psychology degree, the pair reunite for Riot on an Empty Street in 2004. Declaration Of Dependence follows in 2009, released on Astralwerks in the United States and Virgin Records in the United Kingdom.

Related work

Erlend Øye also releases solo material and is a member of The Whitest Boy Alive. Eirik Glambek Bøe is also a member of Kommode.