Swedish electronic duo The Knife have announced their plans to split following their upcoming November European tour dates.
The experimental dance outfit, who are scheduled to play just six shows in Europe this October and November, told Dazed & Confused that these shows will be their last. “When we finish the tour now in November we will close down, it’s our last tour. We don’t have any obligations to continue, it should only and always be for fun.”
The duo, made up of Karin Dreijer Andersson and her brother Olof Dreijer, have been touring with their latest album, Shaking The Habitual, released in 2013, and both the record and the tour have been met with divided reviews. It followed their self-titled 2001 debut, 2003’s Deep Cuts and 2006’s Silent Shout.
The band say they’ve since reworked the show, and their performers, previously known as dancers, have since learnt how to sing and play instruments. “At the moment, The Knife is 25 people touring and even more people documenting the process, making videos and helping us out with different things,” said Karin Dreijer.
The Knife have long been pushing the boundaries of electronic experimentation, owe some of their notoriety to fellow Swedes José Gonzalez, who covered their track Heartbeats, and Robyn with whom they share writing credits for her track Who’s That Girl.
Karin also released an acclaimed solo effort under the name Fever Ray in 2009 and the duo collaborated on an opera album Tomorrow, in a Year, in 2010, based on Charles Darwin‘s On the Origin of Species.
Asked if she had plans to release more music under the Fever Ray name Karin Dreijer said, “When we finish The Knife’s last run in mid-November, I will start thinking about what is to come next!”
Watch: The Knife – Without You My Life Would Be Boring (Shaken-Up Version)
