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"Kiss in Songs"
An embroidered design of a pair of red lips, appears on a white rectangle surrounded by a red border and the song's title "Kiss in Songs".
Single by Oh Land
from the album Family Tree
Released22 March 2019 (2019-03-22)
GenreElectronic
Length4:12
LabelTusk or Tooth
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Thomas Bartlett
Oh Land singles chronology
"Brief Moment"
(2019) 		"Kiss in Songs"
(2019) 		"Family Tree"
(2019)

"Kiss in Songs" is a song by Danish singer and songwriter Oh Land for her fifth studio album, Family Tree (2019). Oh Land wrote the song with the sole producer, Thomas Bartlett. It was digitally distributed as the third single from the album on 22 March 2019, through Tusk or Tooth Records. The song's release came with the announcement of new dates for her ongoing promotional Family Tree tour. It is an electronic song with a melancholic, piano and string-led production. Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart provides background vocals on the song.

The lyrics of "Kiss in Songs" detail Oh Land's desire to find someone who she can communicate with on a musical basis. It also serves as a reminder to Oh Land about what is important to her. The song received generally favourable reviews from music critics, with some reviewers calling it beautiful and happy. Oh Land has since performed the song at the Koncerthuset in Copenhagen in September 2019.

Background and release

After the release of Earth Sick (2014), her fourth studio album, Oh Land divided her time up for a number of side projects, including the recording of soundtracks Askepot (2016) and Watermusic (2018), and a cover of Denmark's national anthem for the 2018 television series The Rain.[1][2][3] In 2018, she revealed to Rolling Stone that her then-upcoming album would be released in 2019 and was inspired by several recent events of her personal life, such as the divorce from her husband, her second pregnancy, and relocating back to Denmark.[3][4] As she began songwriting sessions, Oh Land started to focus on relearning how to play the piano, which resulted in a sound and tonal shift for the album.[5]

"Kiss in Songs" was first announced to the public in a press release that stated it would be the third single from Family Tree.[6] The song was released for digital download and streaming in Denmark and the United States on 22 March 2019, through Tusk or Tooth Records.[7][8] The song's cover art uses an original, hand-embroidered design that was created by Danish artist Sarah Becker.[9] "Kiss in Songs" served as the third single from Family Tree, following the releases of "Human Error" and "Brief Moment".[6][10] The song's release came alongside the addition of more European tour dates for Oh Land's promotional Family Tree tour, which was first announced on 22 February 2019.[6][10] On 3 May 2019, "Kiss in Songs" was included as the fourth track on Oh Land's fifth studio album Family Tree.[11]

In the song's press release, Oh Land explained that it serves as a reminder for her as to why she makes music: "I guess the whole reason I do music is that I express myself more clearly through melodies and singing."[6] It was written by Oh Land and Thomas Bartlett, the latter of which solely produced the track. Oh Land received additional credits for creating the melody and lyrics for "Kiss in Songs". The song was mastered by UE Nastasi at Sterling Sound Studios in Edgewater, New Jersey.[9][12] It was mixed by Patrick Dillett, while Peter Pejtsik served as the track's conductor.[9]

Composition and lyrics

A color photograph of Venezuelan-American musician Devendra Banhart performing live in 2017.
Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart (shown) provides background vocals on "Kiss in Songs".

Musically, "Kiss in Songs" is a melancholic electronic song that is backed by piano and strings.[13][14] Ole Rosenstand Svidt from Gaffa placed the song among the most ecclesiastical in Oh Land's discography.[14] Of similar nature, Simon Bækgaard from SoundVenue described the song's melody as something one would associate with Sunday High mass. He also stated that the instrumental introduction reminded him of a hymn.[15] "Kiss in Songs" is accompanied by a piano, played by Bartlett, who was also in charge of additional musical arrangements.[9]

According to its sheet music, "Kiss in Songs" is set in the time signature of common time, and has a moderately slow tempo of 80 beats per minute. The song is composed in the key of C major and it follows the setup of a verse, followed by chorus-verse-chorus and a post-chorus.[16] Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart provides background vocals on the track.[17]

Lyrically, "Kiss in Songs" features Oh Land describing how her potential love interest is able to communicate with her through music as opposed to just speaking.[6][13] With the song, she attempts to "forget [about] the ways we are used to using language" and instead "communicate on a more primal level".[17] Oh Land explained the overall meaning of "Kiss in Songs": "In this song, I find someone who understands my language."[18] In the song's chorus, Oh Land admits to her lover: "And while history is written / And politics is spitten / We kiss in songs / And I'm missing you."[16]

Reception and promotion

"Kiss in Songs" was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. Svidt featured the song in his column of the week's 12 best new songs, for Gaffa, during the third week of March 2019. In his review, he called Oh Land's voice pleasant-sounding due to her shift towards a more organic creative direction. He also considered the song among Oh Land's other music that sounds magical.[14] Bækgaard labelled the song beautiful and explained that it may contain some of the best chords he had heard in awhile.[15] Emma Sejersen, a writer for Politiken, enjoyed the song, calling it one of the happiest-sounding tracks on Family Tree.[19] Erin Vierra, from Mxdwn.com, also called "Kiss in Songs" a beautiful song, and said it "lifts the listener up and refuses to let go".[13]

In September 2019, Oh Land performed a live show at Koncerthuset in Copenhagen. During the concert, she opened the night with a performance of "Kiss in Songs", followed by fellowalbum tracks "Sunlight" and "Make My Trouble Beautiful". Ivan Rod, a contributor to Gaffa, reviewed her performance and found that the aforementioned songs could have benefitted from being performed in a more intimate setting, due to their quiet nature. He wrote that although the songs were unable to meet the fullness of the performance space, they ended up being some of the highlights of Oh Land's show.[20]

Track listing

Digital download/streaming[7]
No.TitleLength
1."Kiss in Songs"4:12

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Family Tree.[9]

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Kiss in Songs"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Denmark 22 March 2019
Tusk or Tooth [7]
United States [8]

References

  1. ^ "Teater & Dans: Askepot" (in Danish). Tivoli. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (2 July 2018). "Oh Land to Return in 2019 with 'Deeply Personal' Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  3. ^ Fernando, Madeleine (30 April 2019). "Oh Land Releases Her Most Vulnerable Album Yet in 'Family Tree': Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Oh Land – Family Tree – Tour" (in Danish). Musikhuset Aarhus. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Oh Land Releases New Single Kiss In Songs Featuring Devendra Banhart". BroadwayWorld. 25 March 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Kiss In Songs – Single – Oh Land". Apple Music (DK). 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e Family Tree (LP liner notes). Oh Land. Universal Music Group, Tusk or Tooth Records. 2019. UNI 77 37921.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ a b Kenneally, Cerys (22 February 2019). "Oh Land shares endearing new track 'Brief Moment'". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Oh Land – Family Tree". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  10. ^ "UE Nastasi: Mastering Engineer". Sterling Sound. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  11. ^ a b c Vierra, Erin (25 March 2019). "Oh Land Shares New Single 'Kiss In Songs' Featuring Guest Vocals by Devendra Banhart". Mxdwn.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  12. ^ a b c Svidt, Ole Rosenstand (22 March 2019). "Bedst Lige Nu: 12 nye, håndplukkede tracks". Gaffa (in Danish). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  13. ^ a b Bækgaard, Simon (7 May 2019). "Oh Land Giver En Tour De Force In Skrøbelig Sangskrivning". SoundVenue (in Danish). Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  14. ^ a b Fabricius, Nanna Øland; Bartlett, Thomas (2019). Kiss In Songs: Sheet Music, Lyrics by Nanna Øland Fabricius, Thomas Bartlett. Universal Music Group.
  15. ^ a b Anders, Simon (25 March 2019). "Oh Land Releases New Single 'Kiss In Songs' Featuring Devendra Banhart". WithGuitars. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  16. ^ Vigil, Dom (26 March 2019). "Oh Land Shares New Single, 'Kiss In Songs'". Prelude Press. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  17. ^ Sejersen, Emma (4 May 2019). "Oh Land om sin smertefulde skilsmisse: Heldigvis har vi kunnet samarbejde om Svend lige fra begyndelsen". Politiken (in Danish). Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  18. ^ Rod, Ivan (5 September 2019). "Oh Land, Koncertsalen, Koncerthuset: Renæssancepige bag et filter". Gaffa (in Danish). Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
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