Kings of Convenience are a music duo formed in Bergen, Norway, playing a st… Read Full Bio ↴Kings of Convenience are a music duo formed in Bergen, Norway, playing a style that features acoustic instrumental playing and their two voices. The band consists of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe. They met as children at a geography competition. They are known for their delicate tunes, calming voices, and intricately subtle guitar melodies.

After first earning notice thanks to a series of acclaimed European festival appearances during the summer of 1999, the twosome signed to American label Kindercore to issue their lovely eponymous debut the following spring. Quiet Is the New Loud was issued in early 2001 on Astralwerks. The album used many of the same tracks from the Kindercore release but re-ordered them and replaced a few with newer songs. The remix album Versus followed later in the year and featured remixes by artists as diverse as Ladytron, avid Whitaker and Four Tet. After a three year layoff during which Øye recorded a solo album, 2003's Unrest, and gained some reknown as an electronica DJ while Bøe worked on finishing up his psychology degree, the pair teamed up again for the recording and release of 2004's Riot on an Empty Street.

After a 5 year layoff, the band released Declaration Of Dependence on October 20, 2009 on Astralwerks in the US and Virgin Records in the UK.

Erlend Øye has released some solo material and is also a member of The Whitest Boy Alive.
Eirik Glambek Bøe is also a member of a second band, Kommode. The Whitest Boy Alive and Kommode toured together this year for a short period.

Brave New World
Kings of Convenience Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Out in the dark (walking in the rain)
On a lonely street (looking for the fire)
Escaping the noise (can you ever escape?)
You can hear your thoughts (an they're calling you a liar)

Out in the dark (walking in the rain)
On a lonely street (looking for the fire)
Escaping the noise (can you ever escape?)

You can hear your thoughts (and they're calling you a coward.)

A brave new world (it's all around)
You're walking too fast (to be able to see it)
Your wings are too small (to get off the ground)
The truth is too close (for you to believe it)

A brave new world (it's all around)
You're walking too fast (to be able to see it)
Your wings are too small (to get off the ground)
The truth is too close (for you to believe it.)

Too high, too low, too small too see
Too fast, too close, too scared to meet
The world outside, you're in my mind.

The world outside
Too high, too low, too small to see
Too fast, too close, too scared to meet
The world outside, you're in my mind.

The world outside.
Out in the night
Out in the night

Out in the night
Out in the night

Overall Meaning

The opening verses of Kings of Convenience's song Brave New World describe a sense of loneliness and isolation that is heightened by the singer's attempt to escape the noise of the world. Walking on a lonely street while the rain falls, the singer searches for something more, something that seems beyond their reach. They hear their thoughts and the voices in their head, but are unsure whether they are being called out as a liar or a coward. The lyrics suggest a struggle to process one's own thoughts and the world around them, as well as a quest for truth and meaning.

The title of the song, Brave New World, references Aldous Huxley's famous novel of the same name. The book depicts a futuristic society where people are engineered to serve a certain function, and where pleasure and conformity reign supreme. The song's lyrics touch on similar themes, describing a world that is both tantalizingly close and impossibly far away. The singer is struggling to come to grips with the world around them and their own place within it.

Line by Line Meaning

Out in the dark
Walking outside, at night while it is dark outside.

On a lonely street
Walking on a street with no one around.

Escaping the noise
Trying to get away from the noise and distractions around you.

You can hear your thoughts
Being alone and quiet allows you to hear what you're thinking.

And they're calling you a liar
Your thoughts are telling you that you are not truthful about something.

A brave new world
A new and different world that you have never experienced before.

You're walking too fast
Moving too quickly and not taking the time to experience the new world around you.

To be able to see it
In order to truly see the new world, you need to slow down and take it all in.

Your wings are too small
You lack the ability to fully take flight and experience the new world.

To get off the ground
To truly experience the new world, you need to be able to fly and escape your current surroundings.

The truth is too close
The truth about yourself or the world around you is near, but you may not be ready to accept it.

For you to believe it
You are resistant to accepting the truth that is in front of you.

Too high, too low, too small too see
Obstacles are in your way and you are unable to see a solution to overcome them.

Too fast, too close, too scared to meet
You are feeling scared to face the challenges that lie ahead.

The world outside, you're in my mind
Your thoughts and imagination are creating the world around you, instead of experiencing it for what it truly is.

Out in the night
Continued emphasis on the theme of being outside at night.