The Fool Embla and the Karidotters

• 1 Wanna Ride? 03:34
• 2 Wake Up and Smell the Coffee 02:50
• 3 Your Own Moon 04:38
• 4 Imogen 03:33
• 5 CUNTRY 04:18
• 6 Rhinestoned Cowgirl 02:57
• 7 Closet Drama 04:12
• 8 Another Honky Tonk Song 03:12
• Total Runtime 29:14

Info zu The Fool

Embla and the Karidotters return with their third studio album, The Fool. Norway’s first queer country album.

Embla and the Karidotters are going for it in 2026. Not only has Embla just launched “Embla’s Hoedown,” a unique blend of farmers’ market, amusement park, and country club concept—complete with line dancing classes and concerts—but she is also releasing her third studio album, The Fool, this year. The album is not just a musical triumph from start to finish; it is also (as far as we know) Norway’s first queer country album.

On The Fool, Embla and the Karidotters playfully explore the country genre, drawing on rowdy 90s country, indie-tinged alt-country, and honkytonk with tears in the beer. Lyrically, they play with country clichés (“Rhinestoned Cowgirl,” “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”), while also helping establish a queer Norwegian country scene—already a solid subculture in the US—with tracks like “Imogen” and “Wanna Ride?”

Embla Karidotter and the band project that carries her name, radiates creativity, humor, and shamelessness. In several places on the new album, you might catch yourself thinking, “how dare they!” A song that sounds like Shania Twain/“Mutt” Lange circa 1997? Yep. Calling a song “Cuntry”? Sure. Tarot cards as artwork? Why not?

It’s clear that the band had a blast together in the studio and that Embla trusts her flock, giving them room to shine: Marie Moe (bass), Benjamin Rø Haavelsrud (guitar), Nils Jørgen Nilsen (drums), and producer Simen Følstad Nilsen (guitar and pedal steel) all get their moments to shine.

Embla is fearless in other, more important ways too. She has always spoken her mind, both in person and through her songs. She’s on the barricades for LGTBQ+ rights, is vocal in her support for Palestine, fights for animal rights, and actively advocates for veganism. Embla is passionate about these causes and more—regardless of strategy or perceived controversy—and above all, she is passionate about the music.

With Embla and the Karidotters’ previous album—Off Leash from 2024—we announced that beast (the band) was off the leash. The album was, eclectic, fun, bold and liberated—supposedly, anything went. Little did we know what was to come a couple of years down the line. If anything went back then, everything is on the line now.

Embla and the Karidotters

Embla and the Karidotters
create modern, queer outlaw country, drawing inspiration from everything ranging from Willie Nelson to Shania Twain. Fueled by humor, a love of performing, and healthy doses of twang, they are set to turn the country music scene upside down in 2026 with their upcoming third album.

Embla and the Karidotters is the band project of Razika drummer Embla Karidotter. After Razika was put on hiatus, Embla gathered her "Karidotters" from surrounding bands such as Slomosa, Honningbarna, Sløtface, and Aiming for Enrike. Their debut album, Hello, I’m Embla, was released in the autumn of 2022 and won the Spellemann Award for Best Country Album. The follow-up, Off Leash, was released in 2024; it earned another Spellemann nomination and put E&TK on the map internationally. Over the past two years, the band has toured Norway almost continuously and performed at festivals abroad, including SXSW (US), Stagecoach (US), Cold Country (DK), SPOT (DK), Live At Heart (SE), Viva Sounds (SE), and Static Roots (DE).

The band takes pride in delivering high-quality performances that make the audience dance, laugh, and cry. The music is heartfelt, and audiences get to know Embla’s dark humor both during and between songs; they always wrap up their shows by line-dancing off the stage. Perhaps they’ll invite the crowd to join the dance afterwards, too?

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet