Peace or Love
studio
ArtistKings of Convenience
CoverPeace or Love (Kings of Convenience).png
Released18 June 2021
Length37:31
LabelEMI
ProducerKings of Convenience · Antonio Pulli · Cristian Heyne · Davide Bertolini · Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm · Phil Weinrobe · Robert Jønnum
Prev year2009

Peace or Love is the fourth studio album by Norwegian indie folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience. Released on 18 June 2021, it is their first album in 12 years. It features two song collaborations with Canadian musician Feist. It was preceded by two singles: "Rocky Trail" and "Fever".

Background and release

Kings of Convenience released their third studio album Declaration of Dependence in 2009 which reached number four on the US Billboard 200 chart and was met with generally favourable reviews.[1][2] In April 2021, the duo, which consists of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, announced the release of their fourth studio album titled Peace or Love.[3] "Rocky Trail" was released as the lead single on 30 April 2021, alongside the album's announcement.[4] "Fever" was served as the second single on 28 May.[5] The album was released on 18 June by EMI Records.[6] Their first album in 12 years,[7] Peace or Love was recorded by the duo five times.[8]

Music

The melody and arrangement of "Catholic Country" was "jammed out" with The Staves at the first PEOPLE Festival.[9]

Critical reception

Peace or Love received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 76 based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[10] At AnyDecentMusic?, which collates album reviews from websites, magazines and newspapers, they gave the release a 7 out of 10, based on a critical consensus of 13 reviews.[11]

In a 9/10 review, Tom Pinnock of Uncut called it their most cohesive album to date, writing that the band "seem to have discovered the purest essence of the music they create."[12] Reviewing for The Guardian, Ben Beaumont-Thomas praised the duo's vocal chemistry as well as the album's acoustic arrangement and emotional narrative, calling it "a beautifully simple return".[13] Similarly, Eric Mason from Slant Magazine commended the record for retaining the duo's "distinctly tranquil guitar-centric sound" and favoured the presence of bossa nova.[14] Pitchfork writer Linnie Greene described the album as "an especially airbrushed take on easy-listening pop".[8]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes[9] and Tidal.[15]

Musicians

  • Eirik Glambek Bøe – vocals (tracks 1–11), nylon-string acoustic guitar (tracks 1–11), piano (track 6), drums (track 9)
  • Erlend Øye – vocals (tracks 1–6, 8–11), steel-string acoustic guitar (tracks 1–11)
  • Feist – vocals (tracks 5, 9)
  • Davide Bertolini – upright bass (track 1, 9), viola da gamba (track 9)
  • Alexander Grieg – bowed upright bass (tracks 1, 6)
  • Tobias Hett – viola (tracks 2, 4, 6, 11)
  • Alexander von Mehren – bass (track 2), marimba (track 2), keyboards (track 2)

Technical

  • Kings of Convenience – production (tracks 1, 3–7), mixing (tracks 1, 3, 5–7)
  • Erlend Øye – programming (track 6), recording (track 6)
  • Davide Bertolini – production (tracks 1, 6, 9), mixing (tracks 1, 4, 6, 9), recording (tracks 1, 4, 6, 9), upright bass (track 1)
  • Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm – production (tracks 2, 3, 7, 11), mixing (tracks 2, 3, 7, 11), recording (tracks 2, 3, 7, 11)
  • Cristian Heyne – production (track 4), recording (track 4)
  • Robert Jønnum – production (tracks 8, 10), mixing (tracks 8, 10), recording (tracks 8, 10)
  • Antonio Pulli – production (track 5), mixing (track 5), recording (track 5)
  • Phil Weinrobe – production (track 9), recording (track 9)
  • Fernando Herrera Bastidas – mixing (track 4), recording (track 4)
  • Jørgen Træen – mastering (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 9–11)
  • Norman Nitzsche – mastering (tracks 3, 7, 8)
  • Sascha Steinfurth – guitar technician

Artwork

  • Glauco Canalis – front cover photograph, jacket photograph, label photograph
  • Salvo Alibrio – gatefold spread photograph, tiny blurry photograph
  • Andrea Moschella – graphic design

Other

  • Sascha Steinfurth – consultant
  • Øystein Bruvik – album title

Charts

Chart performance for Peace or Love
Chart (2021)Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[16]130
Italian Albums (FIMI)[17]60

References

  1. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Peace or Love – Kings of Convenience". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Declaration of Dependence – Kings of Convenience". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  3. ^ Russell, Scott (30 April 2021). "Kings of Convenience Announce Peace or Love, First New Album in 12 Years". Paste. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  4. ^ Clarke, Patrick (30 April 2021). "Kings Of Convenience announce first album in 12 years and share new single 'Rocky Trail'". NME. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  5. ^ Russell, Scott (28 May 2021). "Kings of Convenience Share Second Peace or Love Single, "Fever"". Paste. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  6. ^ Murphy, John (18 June 2021). "Kings Of Convenience – Peace Or Love". musicOMH. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  7. ^ Yoo, Noah (30 April 2021). "Kings of Convenience Announce First New Album in 12 Years, Peace or Love: Listen to New Song "Rocky Trail"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  8. ^ Greene, Linnie (17 June 2021). "Kings of Convenience: Peace or Love Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  9. ^ Peace or Love (liner notes). EMI. 2021. EMIV 2038.
  10. ^ "Peace or Love by Kings of Convenience Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Peace Or Love by Kings of Convenience reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  12. ^ Pinnock, Tom. "Kings of Convenience – Peace or Love: Stylish, melancholic moves by the Bergen grandmasters". Uncut. No. 291. August 2021 ed. p. 26.
  13. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (18 June 2021). "Kings of Convenience: Peace or Love review – a beautifully simple return". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  14. ^ Mason, Eric (14 June 2021). "Music Review: Kings of Convenience's Peace or Love Neatly Depicts the Dichotomies of Love". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Credits / Peace Or Love / Kings Of Convenience". Tidal. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Top Albums (Week 25, 2021)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 25 (dal 18.06.2021 al 24.06.2021)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 4 July 2021.