Embla and the Karidotters - Bluebird (Live from a Basement in Oslo)

“Bluebird” taken from Embla and the Karidotters' sophomore album Off Leash, out now!

Listen to /order OFF LEASH here: https://orcd.co/offleash

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Directed by: Embla Karidotter and Karoline Finnema
Cinematographer: Karoline Finnema
Audio recording and mix: Simen Følstad Nilsen

Embla and the Karidotters – Off Leash (Album)
Die With Your Boots On Records, 2024

The beast is loose and off the leash. Embla and the Karidotters are back with their second album. The debut Hello, I’m Embla won the Spellemann award (Norwegian Grammy) for best country album and took the band all over Norway and beyond. How do you follow that?

With more, obviously. Off Leash is just better, rawer and cooler. The star-studded band is really getting into the groove and sounds sharper than ever. Bandleader Embla Karidotter has grown leaps and bounds as both composer and lyricist and her twangy voice has a perfected huskiness.

The band’s sophomore album continues the band’s “honky tonk noir” sound with references to Ennio Morricone, Nancy Sinatra and David Lynch movies. Karidotter’s lyrics are humorous, self-deprecating and melancholic. Karidotter says: “The record distances itself from country, in the sense that we don’t really care about what’s right or wrong in the genre, but simultaneously takes inspiration from classic country-rock from the 50’s and 60’s.”

Embla and the Karidotters is the project of former Razika drummer Embla Karidotter. After the successful Norwegian indie combo was put on hiatus, Embla gathered her “Karidotters” from talented neighboring bands Honningbarna, Sløftface, Slomosa and Aiming for Enrike. They quickly started gigging and recording. The EP Howling was released in 2021, and they dropped their debut full length Hello, I’m Embla in the fall of 2022.

In 2023, Hello, I’m Embla was awarded a Spellemann award, a perfect conclusion to a successful release cycle. The summer of 2023 was busy with festivals, including a performance at Stagecoach in California and Norwegian festivals such as Øya and Vinjerock. 2024 was kicked off in style at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Embla and the Karidotters are: Embla Karidotter, Marie Moe, Simen Følstad Nilsen, Nils Jørgen Nilsen and Benjamin Rø Haavelsrud. Famed produced Matias Tellez helmed the band’s first two releases, whereas on Off Leash, they’ve done everything themselves and multi-instrumentalist Simen Følstad Nilsen produced and mixed the record.

Off Leash was released on Die With Your Boots On Records on August 23rd 2024.

BLUEBIRD
I’ll never be all by my lonesome self as long as I got you
I’ll never, not ever be lonely again
Cause when I’m alone I got a friend

She follows me home every night
And I know she’s always there, even if she’s out of sight
Cause I got a friend in the moon
Yes, I got a friend who I’ll always see soon

I’ll never be all by my lonesome self as long as I got you
I’ll never, not ever be lonely again
Cause when I’m alone I got a friend

So if you’re alone and feeling down
Try to take a walk, try to search for a sound
And maybe you’ll hear the bluebird who sings
And it wants you to join it, so go on and spread your wings

You’ll never be all by your lonesome self as long as you got me
You’ll never, not ever be lonely again
Cause when you’re alone you got a friend

And now that you’re flying high
It may seem like a long way down
Just like you thought you’d never fly
When you were about to drown
You have to know what wrong feels like to know when it’s right
Just like we need the darkness for the stars to shine bright

We’ll never be all by our lonesome selves as long as we got each other
We’ll never, not ever be lonely again
Cause when we’re alone we’ve got a friend

We’ll never be all by our lonesome selves as long as we got each other
We’ll never, not ever be lonely again
Cause when we’re alone we’ve got a friend

Written by Embla Karidotter. Arranged and performed by Embla and the Karidotters: Embla Karidotter, Marie Moe, Nils Jørgen Nilsen, Simen Følstad Nilsen and Benjamin Rø Haavelsrud.

Drums: Nils Jørgen Nilsen
Bass guitar, backing vocals: Marie Moe
Pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals: Simen Følstad Nilsen
Electric guitar, backing vocals: Benjamin Rø Haavelsrud
Lead vocals: Embla Karidotter