Todd & Karen – Bougie Suzie (2024)
It began with two teachers who met at work and through their passion for British 60s and 70s music, they morphed into the duo Todd & Karen. A sweet, simple, “oh that’s so adorable” tale of love and connection, and the cutesy pie feels keep running through their heartwarming melodies. Flooded with sounds of The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beach Boys and a hint of Simon & Garfunkel, Todd & Karen flit from power-pop to indie-rock, folk and a smashing dose of classic Britpop. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Bougie Suzie’.
Following their well-received singles ‘Norwegian Summer’ and ‘Juicy Gossip From The Mothership’, Ǿyvind Berge (vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards) and Ina Verdi-Ruckstuhl (vocals, violin and ukelele) saunter into 2024 with ‘Bougie Suzie’. While the sounds of the Beatles lash out in Todd & Karen’s music engulfing each melody with a hint of McCartney and Lennon, the Norway-based pair have a distinctive flair separating them from the familiar sound. In ‘Bougie Suzie’, it takes shape in the eclectic combination of classical, folk and pop with strong Norwegian inflexion in the vocals.
Produced and mixed by Sigve Høghaug at Høghaug Sound Studios, then mastered by Jelöy Sound Mastering, ‘Bougie Suzie’ is a song to be felt instead of simply heard. It sets listeners off on a glistening sonic river with moonlight bouncing off the water. The soft guitars and warm keyboards carry you along with ripples of pop gently rocking the boat. A light breeze caresses your cheek with Verdi-Ruckstuhl’s violin lingering in the wind. Hopeful, joyful, optimistic and tender, your heart soars with each symphonic chord…it couldn’t get much better.
I am pleased to say the fluttering folk and charming pop river carry listeners off into the bright sunset; however, a more provocative and slightly darker theme waits in the lyricism. Using poetic storytelling, Todd & Karen immerse you in the world of Bougie Suzie. Like Aunt March in Little Women, she peers down with a haughty expression throwing judgement on people with an unfathomable arrogance. Annoying and oozing dislike from every pore, the band “paint a vivid picture of the vexing personality and the world she inhabits”. In all honesty, if those upper-class twits with far too much entitlement need a theme song, ‘Bougie Suzie’ is their song.
In addition to the single, Todd & Karen released an official music video for ‘Bougie Suzie’. This video can be viewed below or on their YouTube channel.
Find out more about Todd & Karen on their Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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