Karin Park is a new name to many outside of Scandinavia, while at home Kari… Read Full Bio ↴Karin Park is a new name to many outside of Scandinavia, while at home Karin has already picked up two Norwegian Grammy’s and recently supported Azari & III and SBTRKT on their European tour dates.

‘Restless’ is a dark hooky killer-chorus track, full of Karin’s signature moody electronica sound. With a modern experimental 80’s pop feel and Karin’s unique spell-binding vocal, ‘Restless’ is a massive driving electro-pop track, industrial yet with a commercial edge it crosses the brooding electronic landscape into the mainstream arena. Karin has already earned specialist support from the likes Zane Low, Annie Mac, Pete Tong, Rob De Bank and Giles Peterson.

Recorded with producers Barry Barnett and Christoffer Berg (Fever Ray, The Knife) the album explores Karin’s fascinations with spirituality, sexuality, power, love and hate. Removed from the world as a child living in a remote Swedish town, Karin’s deeply religious upbringing and experiences, including a three year stint in a Japanese missionary school, have provided her with a distance from reality, allowing us to see the world anew through her eyes on this album.

Live, Karin has proved she’s a forced to reckoned with; her captivating beauty, standing tall at 6ft 3” like an Amazonian electro-gothic warrior, her vocals range from pop to opera and her effortless fluidity of intense vocal performance is accompanied by raw musicianship as Karin graces the keys of analogue synths and struts a white 80’s inspired Keytar across the front of the stage while her Viking drummer of a brother David Park kicks out the dark rhythmic beats of the songs. Karin’s live sets are undeniably electrifying, pushing musical boundaries and encapsulating what it is to be a truly modern artist while dodging any approaching pigeon-holes.

‘This Grammy Award winning Swedish starlet is off to a flying start’ – Mixmag

‘She’s wonderful on stage, a natural in the electronica genre’ – Planet Notion

‘The most arresting female voice since Bjork and the driving, sub sonic qualities of the best alternative electronica that money can buy.’ – Datatransmission

Monday 28th May brings the eagerly awaited release of her new album ‘Highwire Poetry’, the eagerly awaited single from Swedish electro-goth princess Karin Park.

Ashes
Karin Park Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Little needle on my skin
Your injection counts me in
1 2 3 4 like it was for free
Come and take what you want from me
We can run on the open fields
You can have it, tonight's mystery

Look around, I'm your stealer

You're not mine but I want you to be
Still in here, you decide
I could be yours but do you want me?

For my heart, there's a simple code
Push it hard and it will explode
Give it to me, more than I can count
My lips are pink and my skin is white
Take me with you when you leave tonight
Listen to me, I will make it right

Look around, I'm your stealer
You're not mine but I want you to be
Still in here, you decide
I could be yours but do you want me?

The ashes are burning, love
Come on, hurry and take me with you
The ashes are burning, love
Come on, hurry and take me with you

Look around, I'm your stealer
You're not mine but I want you to be
Still in here, you decide
I could be yours but do you want me?
Do you want me?

Ashes
(Ashes to gold)

Look around, I'm your stealer
You're not mine but I want you to be
Still in here, you decide

I could be yours but do you want me?
But do you want me?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Karin Park's song "Ashes" are open to interpretation, but they seem to describe a situation where the singer is willing to give herself to someone else, to be "counted in" by their injection. The idea of running free in open fields suggests a sense of abandon and loss of control, while it's not clear who the "stealer" is, or what exactly is being stolen. It could be a case of the singer wanting to be someone else's possession, or perhaps the "stealer" is someone who takes what they want without consent.

The chorus speaks of "ashes burning" and the urgency to be taken away, possibly to escape from a destructive or dangerous situation. The repeated phrase "you decide" suggests hesitation and uncertainty on the part of the person being addressed, as if they are being given a choice to take or leave the singer's offer. The final lines of the song - "But do you want me?" - underscore this uncertainty and vulnerability, as if the singer is laying herself bare and leaving herself open to rejection.

Overall, the lyrics of "Ashes" are dark and seductive, with a hint of danger and a lot of emotion. The melody is haunting and sparse, with a lot of space between the notes, which adds to the sense of vulnerability and isolation.

Line by Line Meaning

Little needle on my skin
Referencing the feeling of a needle, the singer is acknowledging that they are being injected or influenced by something, likely the person they are addressing in the song.

Your injection counts me in
The person the singer is addressing is being given credit for being able to influence the singer through their actions or desires (the injection).

1 2 3 4 like it was for free
Despite the implication that they are being controlled, the singer is willing to indulge in this influence without cost, indicating a desire for some sort of pleasure and reciprocation in the actions of the person they are addressing.

Come and take what you want from me
The artist's willingness to give into this influence is expressed here, as well as their willing vulnerability from allowing someone else to take what they want.

We can run on the open fields
Physical or emotional freedom is offered to the person being addressed in this line.

You can have it, tonight's mystery
The mystery of the singer, who is allowing themselves to be influenced, is being offered to the person the song is directed to.

Look around, I'm your stealer
The singer is declaring their willingness to take ownership of the person being addressed, despite the fact that the singer themselves may not belong to them.

You're not mine but I want you to be
Though the person being addressed may not belong to the artist, they express a longing to have them be their possession.

Still in here, you decide
The artist acknowledges that the decision is left to the person being addressed in terms of what action will be taken from here, as well as acknowledging their own feelings.

I could be yours but do you want me?
The artist offers themselves up to the person being addressed, while also questioning if the person actually wants them.

For my heart, there's a simple code
The singer claims to have a code that others can follow in order to win their heart or gain 'control' over them.

Push it hard and it will explode
The code mentioned is alluded to here, and the implication is that if one desires to possess the artist, they must be willing to push them to their limit in some way.

Give it to me, more than I can count
The singer desires more of whatever it is that is being offered or taken by the person addressed than they can keep track of or quantify.

My lips are pink and my skin is white
The singer physically describes themselves in order to make themselves more appealing or desirable to the person being addressed.

Take me with you when you leave tonight
The singer desires to be taken by the person being addressed, even when they depart or move on without them.

Listen to me, I will make it right
The artist claims or assures that they have the power to solve whatever problem or need the person being addressed may have.

The ashes are burning, love
Metaphorical language is used here to represent the artist's feelings, to communicate a sense of intense desire or yearning.

Come on, hurry and take me with you
The urgency of the situation, and the singer's desire to be taken by the person addressed, is emphasized in this line.

Ashes
This may simply refer to the feelings of the singer, or possibly to the remains of something that has burned down.

(Ashes to gold)
This addition to the prior line seems to indicate a desire or hope of transformation, from ashes to something of value, or from something lost/dead to something revitalized or new.

But do you want me?
Finally, the artist once again asks if the person addressed actually wants them or not, acknowledging the power that the person they desire holds over them.

Contributed by Henry H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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