Norwegian duo Smerz return with a new single and video for “A thousand lies,” their first release on Copenhagen’s Escho label (Astrid Sonne, Molina, Fine, Elias Rønnenfelt) since their debut Okey.
“A thousand lies“ roams between reverberant piano riffs and looping electronic patterns, with Smerz’ unmistakable voices weaving through the composition like a conversation unfolding in real-time. Decoding and encoding the complexities of companionship, the song draws listeners into a world where reality and memory blur, creating a wholly new destination.
Written, performed, and produced by Smerz, the single is accompanied by a video filmed on a New Year’s road trip with their longtime friends and collaborators Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø, capturing the intangible atmosphere leading into a new year.
Smerz is Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt. From the early impact of 2016’s Okey EP and 2018’s Have Fun EP to the hypnotic world of 2021’s Believer, the duo’s music exhibits continuous curiosity and an instinctive approach all while navigating sonic landscapes from alternative pop and trance music to classical composition, sampled beats and beyond. Their imaginative artistry led The FACE to declare, “Smerz have created a lane all their own.”
Since releasing Believer, Smerz has continued their longstanding NTS Radio residency — a playground for their expansive influences, where they showcase friends and music they admire, blending everything from Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin to footwork pioneer RP Boo.
Other projects include producing for NewJeans’ Get Up EP (2023); debuting and releasing a 32-minute choir piece, Tidligere den dagen, at the MUNCH Museum in Oslo; constructing ALLINA (2024), a musical narrative centered on a fictitious pop star; and releasing the stand along singles “Shining Star” and “Girls just wanna have fun” on their own label, Shopping Records. Through their creative explorations—spanning music production, songwriting, performance, theatre, and composition—Smerz continues to shape new worlds.
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