Written by Maria Arroyo
Norwegian duo Konradsen releases their latest EP, Rodeo No. 5. The duo consists of vocalist and pianist, Jenny Marie Sabel, and multi-instrumentalist, Eirik Vildgren. This EP was created to be an extension of their first release, Saints and Sebastian Stories, where they explore another side of their songwriting abilities.
Sabel and Vildgren both met in high school and kept in touch and continued to write together throughout the years. They were inspired by the everyday conversations they’ve heard and the little clips of movies they used to watch.
“It makes me feel safe somehow,” Sabel says of these voices. “It makes the music personal, and reveals little insights about who we are.” Vildgren adds that “it’s sort of like a glimpse of something bigger…like a sneak peek or a still photo…”
The duo describes this new EP as an “ode to the small choices we make every day.” That the repetition of small phrases like “No it isn’t the same,” pay respect to their previous material with disparate layers that continuously ebb and flow, it suggests that [Konradsen] songs are akin to stories — self-referential, passed down, told and re-told again.
The EP opens with the track, “Give It Back To The Feelings.” The song brings lots of emotions and feelings of vulnerability to the surface that many can relate to. I love the mix of an electronic sound paired with the beautiful melodic piano.
The next track, “The Year Is Over,” changes to a more mysterious and eerie sounding perspective. The endless layers of vocals throughout the sound really diversifies the EP and give listeners something new to listen for every time they hear the song.
“Rodeo No. 5” is the largest song, sonically speaking. There’s a beautiful distribution of sounds throughout different levels, which creates a seamless and well-rounded out sound. As mentioned before, they take inspiration from the everyday conversations in their lives, and some of those can be heard in this single. Those conversations are moments that we can really connect with the artists on an even deeper level.
The next song, “Christoff,” also has a lot of moving parts that bring the song to life. This song, in particular, felt the most out of the box in terms of traditional song structure and songwriting.
The last song which closes up the album is “Many People.” It opens with this gorgeous melodic line that really sets us up for an overwhelmingly beautiful song. This song, in particular, seems to tiptoe the line between dreaming and reality both musically, and emotionally. The song really encompassed all of the nuances that the Rodeo No. 5 EP is all about.
As stated before, Konradsen created the Rodeo No. 5 EP as a way to explore another side of their songwriting abilities. Everything from the production of the songs, to all the different sonic layers they created, all hold that statement to be true. Even in just a couple of songs, they turned up the heat and really showcased just how much they are willing to bend their limits to create an authentic experience for every person listening.
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