The debut Hello, I’m Embla won a Norwegian Grammy for best country album and took the band all over Norway and beyond. How do you follow that? With more, obviously. Off Leash is just better, rawer and cooler. The star-studded band is really getting into the groove and sounds sharper than ever. Bandleader Embla Karidotter has grown leaps and bounds as both composer and lyricist and her twangy voice has a perfected huskiness.

The band’s sophomore album continues the band’s “honky tonk noir” sound with references to Ennio Morricone, Nancy Sinatra and David Lynch movies. Karidotter’s lyrics are humorous, self-deprecating and melancholic.

Embla and the Karidotters is the project of former Razika drummer Embla Karidotter. After the successful Norwegian indie combo was put on hiatus, Embla gathered her “Karidotters” from talented neighboring bands Honningbarna, Sløftface, Slomosa and Aiming for Enrike. They quickly started gigging and recording. The EP Howling was released in 2021, and they dropped their debut full length Hello, I’m Embla in the fall of 2022.

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