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published by Ben Hogwood<\/strong>, with text from the press release<\/p>\n Acclaimed Norwegian singer\/songwriter\u00a0Sondre Lerche<\/strong>\u00a0releases\u00a0euphoric new single Follow The River<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 a flamboyant 9-minute\u00a0pop-odyssey that captures the Norwegian songwriter in an unabashedly romantic, ecstatic state of mind, energised by renewed faith in love and life. Follow The River<\/em> marks the second reveal from Lerche\u2019s newly announced eleventh studio album\u00a0Acrobats<\/em>, out\u00a0on Friday 21 August via\u00a0PLZ \/ Virgin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Acrobats<\/em> \u2013 his first full-length of brand new music in over four years, marks the return of the beloved Norwegian artist with an album that\u2019s bold and bombastic; a polarising reflection on the dichotomy of finding love while in times of soulless global unrest and unfathomable human atrocities.<\/p>\n Originally beginning life as \u201cquite a small and simple song\u201d, new single Follow The River<\/em> gradually expanded into what Lerche describes as his \u201cvery first disco odyssey\u201d \u2013 a sprawling nine-minute epic in its full album form, packed with ever-new scenes, encounters and experiences.<\/p>\n Each of its six verses zooms in on the profound and mundane details of two lost dreamers meeting and falling in love through music, scent and taste, on breezy bar visits and through sticky, sweaty city streets in summer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis one doesn\u2019t make excuses for being completely overcome with feelings of love and desire,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0says Lerche.\u00a0\u201cSo naturally I thought, \u2018I need a gospel choir on this,\u2019 because it\u2019s almost indulging, maybe, as an act of defiance, in the beauty of two humans finding each other, reveling in all the little, mundane moments of that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Featuring a rousing gospel-style choir and adlibs from singer\u00a0Suzanne Sumbudu<\/strong>, Follow The River<\/em>\u00a0stands in striking contrast to much of the wider Acrobats<\/em> album \u2013 unashamedly upbeat, optimistic and love drunk in all its glory.<\/p>\n Musically, the recording shamelessly embraces music history with nods to everyone from Pet Shop Boys, Janet Jackson and Steve Reich to Gustav Mahler\u2019s Symphony No. 2, which inspired the track after Lerche found himself \u201ccrying his eyes out\u201d during a performance at the Oslo Opera.\u00a0\u201cIt actually started out as quite a small and simple song, but the story expanded into more of an epic, and I felt the urge to turn the entire recording into a groovy adventure, with ever-new scenes, encounters, and experiences,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0says Lerche. The track also features what is perhaps Lerche\u2019s most natural and simplistic chorus so far in his ever-expanding catalogue.<\/p>\n Alongside the sprawling album version \u2013 which even includes its own remix in the spirit of Pet Shop Boys\u2019 Introspective \u2013 the song will also be released as an elegant and concise single edit clocking in at four effective minutes before summer takes over.<\/p>\n The expansive album version features contributions from saxophonist\u00a0Jonas Hamre<\/strong>, clarinetist\u00a0Solveig Wang<\/strong>\u00a0and vocalist\u00a0Gabriela Garrubo<\/strong>, alongside Lerche\u2019s longtime collaborators, drummer\u00a0Dave Heilman<\/strong>\u00a0and producer\u00a0Kato \u00c5dland<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u2018Acrobats\u2019\u00a0physical pre-order<\/a>\u00a0is available as a webstore exclusive 2xLP gatefold \u2018Splendor\u2019\u00a0edition including recent EP \u2018Turning Up The Heat Again\u2019, a standard 1xLP edition on transparent red vinyl, and CD.<\/p>\n Sondre Lerche<\/strong>\u2018s new album \u2018Acrobats\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0is out 21st August via\u00a0PLZ \/ Virgin<\/strong>. Sondre Lerche will embark on an extensive headline tour in support of the new album, which will take him across the UK, Europe and the US. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit his website\u00a0HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Published post no.2,921 \u2013 Thursday 18 June 2026<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/div>\n