Have you ever felt that immense rush of victory after taking out the trash before 9 AM? Being on top of the world when you actually remembered it was your turn to pick up the kids from school? The boss feeling of showing up with a half-eaten dollar store chocolate box as an anniversary gift? That’s the spirit behind Ole Kirkeng’s new single “Bare Minimum.”

 Earlier this year, Kirkeng and his band crossed the border into Rockbonden Studio — Amanda Bergman’s farm and analog studio, tucked deep in the snow-covered Swedish woods. Surrounded by trees, cows, and silence, they spent several days recording songs together with Nashville-based producer Dom Billett (Phosphorescent, Andrew Combs, Erin Rae).

 The result is Cowboy Lie Detector Machine — Kirkeng’s second studio album, filled with humor, self-deprecation, melancholy, and brutal honesty. Cowboy Lie Detector Machine drops in January 2026 — a step up in every way, and proof that Kirkeng, one of Norway’s most distinctive songwriters and artists, just keeps getting sharper.

 Kirkeng first made waves with his 2021 EP Rocking Chair, which won the Spellemann Award for Best Country Album. His path into the Americana genre began as a touring member of Courtney Marie Andrews’ band, and since then he’s shared the stage with names like Molly Tuttle, Bonny Light Horseman, Willi Carlisle, S.G. Goodman — and Andrews again. In 2023, his debut album Still Not Lost earned him yet another Spellemann nomination.

 Cowboy Lie Detector Machine drops in January 2026 — a step up in every way, and proof that Kirkeng, one of Norway’s most distinctive songwriters and artists, just keeps getting sharper.