While I Was Asleep (2018)

Release: February 16th, 2018

Produced by Darling West (Mari Sandvær Kreken, Tor Egil Kreken)
Co-produced by Bård Ingebrigtsen
Recorded in AmperTone Studio.
Mixed by Marcus Forsgren in Studio Paradiso
Mastered by Espen Høydalsvik

The trios third LP showcases their mastery of roots forms, from the austere folk of Gillian Welch to the primary-colored folk-pop of Allison Krauss

— Uncut

Lyrics and credits

Darling West experienced a spectacular breakthrough in their musical career after the release of their second album, «Vinyl and a Heartache» in 2016. They were awarded a Norwegian Spellemann award (equivalent of Grammy), listed on Norway’s biggest radio channels and appeared on the Top 100 Country charts in the US. They have played shows all over the world – among the highlights are several of Norway’s biggest festivals, SXSW in Texas, Americanafest in Nashville, Folk Alliance in Kansas City, a tour with Sam Outlaw and a support slot for Lucinda Williams. Those are many highlights. They have also had several million plays on Spotify, appearing in several influential playlists.

Always ambitious and restless, the band didn’t rest on their acquired laurels. Contrarily, they headed straight into the studio to record the follow-up to «Vinyl and a Heartache». Darling West’s third album, the self-produced «While I Was Asleep», contained ten new songs, and was released worldwide February 16th, 2018.

Although they have added drums, the band stays true to their sound and still plays the sweet americana/country/folk they are known for. Moreover, the new album demonstrates a revitalized Darling West, with more drive in the music and even catchier melodies than before – who would have thought that was even possible?

Darling West’s career continues to be on the up, and 2018 promises to be their biggest year so far. Preceding the album release is a visit to the Eurosonic music festival in the Netherlands and the release of the album’s fourth single, «Loneliness». A visit to Folk Alliance in Kansas City coincided with the album release date, and provided a fitting arena for the launch of «While I Was Asleep». So far the album has received raving reviews from Uncut Magazine, Greil Marcus in Village Voice Classic Rock Magazine, Folk Radio UK, Belwood Music, Americana Highways and many more.

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We'll Never Know Unless We Try (2020)

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Vinyl and a Heartache (2016)