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

  • When I am gone
    Bury my bones
    Deep in the ground
    Pray I will find
    Some peace of mind
    After my time

    You ask who I am
    I was just like you
    Living day by day
    That used to be true
    Now it’s time to go
    And I ain’t coming back
    I can see despair in your eyes
    But please don’t turn away

    Driven away
    My brother and I
    broken by war
    I had to watch him die
    I have seen it all
    And here’s what I’ve got to say
    I can see the hope in your eyes
    So please don’t turn away

    Sit for a while
    Make me feel safe
    Let us pretend
    That there is a place
    Far away from here
    and this is not the end
    I can see the tears in your eyes
    But please don’t turn away

    (Tor Egil Kreken)

    Drums: Thomas Gallatin
    Guitar: Kjetil Steensnæs
    Guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Bass, banjo and vocal: Tor Egil Kreken
    Mellotron: Kåre Vestrheim

  • Fled the house, where it all began
    Left a blazing fire and away I ran
    Scars might heal, but I’ve got no time to wait
    Just make it rain, before it is too late

    Met a man, claimed he knew the way
    I said who is leading, and who’s gone astray
    He just smiled and told me what was right
    I might be blind, I didn’t see the light

    I’ve got nothing in my pockets, I have paid all my dues
    I’ve got blisters on my toes from the holes in my shoes
    I’ve got no one to love, but I’ve got friends left to lose
    And the train keeps rolling on

    I will try to make it to the end
    Could there be a way, still, for my soul to mend
    I have felt the power of the few
    Feeding my guilt, deciding what is true

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Guitar and vocal: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Guitar and vocal: Tor Egil Kreken
    Electric guitar: Kjetil Steensnæs
    Drums: Thomas Gallatin
    Harmonies: Stine Andreassen, Live Miranda Solberg, Thomas Gallatin, Kjetil Steensnæs, Tor Egil Kreken og Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Synth: David Wallumrød

  • If this is what loneliness feels like
    I’ve never been lonely before
    Those letters you so eloquently turned into words
    And left for me one morning on a note by the door
    If this is what loneliness feels like
    I’ve never been lonely before

    If this is what heartbreak feels like
    I’ve never been broken before
    The world that collapsed when you killed our romance
    And unlike Rome built back up in a day when you said there was a chance
    If this is what heartbreak feels like
    I’ve never been broken before

    You had me guessing, and I thought I had won
    But I was getting, getting it wrong cause in your mind you are already gone

    If this is what weariness feels like
    I’ve never been weary before
    Those hours by the phone spent waiting for your call
    While my mind was racing and my thoughts were at war
    If this is what weariness feels like
    I’ve never been weary before
    If this is what loneliness feels like
    I’ve never been lonely before

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Drums: Thomas Gallatin
    Electric guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Pedal steel og 12-strings: Kjetil Steensnæs
    Bass, banjo, backing vokal: Tor Egil Kreken
    Backing vokal: Malin Pettersen

  • I knew a boy, he was older than me
    He could jump any creek, he could climb any tree
    He taught me a lot about breaking the rules
    And he told me a man can be wise or he can be a fool

    Wanting it all
    Will be your downfall
    Always in the wrong place
    What you’re chasing is not there to be found

    When I turned eighteen and I went to sea
    I forgot about fools and I thought I was free
    Ten years went by and you know how it goes
    I was seeking a fortune and running when love got too close

    Wanting it all
    Will be my downfall
    Always in the wrong place
    What I’m chasing is not there to be found

    I was a fool for not bearing in mind
    What he said once, that boy who was older than I
    Better than gold is the time that you spend
    Jumping creeks, climbing trees and then breaking some rules with a friend

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Drums: Thomas Gallatin
    Guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Guitars: Kjetil Steensnæs
    Bass: Tor Egil Kreken
    Wurlitzer: David Wallumrød
    Harmonies: Malin Pettersen, Tor Egil Kreken og Mari Sandvær Kreken

  • The jukebox is playing that old song you used to like
    Something about love and how everything will be alright
    I find it hard to believe that you could understand
    What they were singing ‘bout, you only hear the band

    When you’re eastbound
    You know where I’m found
    I am the one who’s always around

    I’m by the bar, they never fixed that broken chair
    Can’t even recall why you sent it flying through the air
    I have got time for one more drink before I go
    Unlike the good old times, tonight I’ll drink it slow

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Drums: Thomas Gallatin
    Guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Guitars: Kjetil Steensnæs
    Bass and electric guitar: Tor Egil Kreken

  • You came along and swept me away
    Like a hurricane in the month of May
    Tender words and a touch so light
    gentle as the rain on a summer night

    Oh-me-oh-my
    Oh, have mercy

    While I was asleep, you turned and walked away
    It was only a dream, but now I fear you won’t stay

    Wearing my heart on my sleave
    Picturing it breaking as you leave
    You came along and swept me away
    I can only hope you won’t lead me astray

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Drums: Thomas Gallatin
    Guitar and vocal: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Bass, banjo, vocals: Tor Egil Kreken
    Pedal steel and guitars: Kjetil Steensnæs

  • I am a traveller moving between towns I do not know
    They do not keep me long or keep me warm, I don’t mind though

    Sleeping on a floor of crumbled glass
    Remaining pieces of my broken past

    I said my farewell
    And I left you standing as I fell
    The road back to you
    Is taking me a lifetime

    The love you gave me could have saved me, so why did I let go
    The fear of flying, fear of trying, fear of dying too slow

    Wondering why I didn’t take the chance
    The night you offered me that second dance

    To have and to hold
    Is a choice, so I’ve been told
    If I only knew
    Back when it was me and you

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Guitar and vocal: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Guitar and vocal: Tor Egil Kreken
    Pedal steel: Kjetil Steensnæs
    Strings: Mari Persen

  • My story is true, though I’ve not been in chains
    Today I’ll be free, for I have been slain
    Twenty long years in these mountains I’ve roamed
    Calling them mother, church and home

    Seeing a wrong that I wanted to right
    I ended a life and ran in the night
    Finding no peace, just a bed made of stone
    Longing for mother, church and home

    Early in springtime, still snow on the ground
    I went to a hill above my old town
    Spotting a man that I once used to know
    Courting my lover, church and home

    Then one day
    A bullet came my way
    Shot down cold
    Never to grow old

    Will they all weep when they hear I am dead
    Or will they salute my killer instead
    I know I’ll rest when they lower me down
    Close to my mother, church and home

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Drums: Thomas Gallatin
    guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Guitars: Kjetil Steensnæs
    Bass: Tor Egil Kreken
    Piano: David Wallumrød
    Harmonies: Stine Andreassen, Live Miranda Solberg, Thomas Gallatin, Kjetil Steensnæs, Tor Egil Kreken og Mari Sandvær Kreken

  • Don’t I know you, you know I do
    Still you seem to take me for a fool
    Don’t I know you, you know I do
    But there you go, playing it cool

    You keep telling me everything is alright
    I can see there’s a battle raging inside that you won’t fight
    Stacking all of your troubles into a pile
    You ain’t keeping your head above water, you’re going down in style

    You try stalling for time but there is no way
    All the things on your mind will magically fade and go away
    Handling most of the weight of the burden you bear
    Still you can’t hide it from me, how long can you fake that you don’t care

    This is me calling the bluff about the state that you’re in
    I can’t watch it no more, as the fever is burning through your skin
    Finally you reveal what was pulling you down
    I’m not saying it won’t be hard, but we’ll turn this thing around

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Drums: Thomas Gallatin
    Guitar and vocals: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Electric guitar: Kjetil Steensnæs
    Bass and vocals: Tor Egil Kreken
    Synth: David Wallumrød

  • How I wish for a voice so strong
    To keep a promise made when I was young
    How I wish I knew how to begin
    and dare to stand my ground when things get grim


    Oh darling, let’s keep trying
    Don’t give up the fight
    Oh darling, don’t stop dreaming
    Things will be alright

    How I wish for another try
    At joining hands instead of asking why
    How I wish there was a way
    To paint in colors and rid of all this grey

    (Tor Egil Kreken, Mari Sandvær Kreken)

    Guitar and vocal: Mari Sandvær Kreken
    Banjo and vocal: Tor Egil Kreken
    Guitar and vocal: Kjetil Steensnæs

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.

Previous
Previous

We'll Never Know Unless We Try (2020)

Next
Next

Vinyl and a Heartache (2016)