Interview With Ask Carol

How would you describe your music to any person who may have never heard it before?

Two people making a lot of sound. Dynamic, from soft and intimate to big and heavy. Guitar-based with driving rhythms and at times almost symphonic, building the scenery around the lyrics.

Our music is a blend of many different genres, but it's got a solid foundation in rock and indie (both indie as in independent, as well as indie as it has become known as a genre). We blend things we like from folk-rock, singer/ songwriter style songs, to almost metal, heavy rock sounds. We don't like being held back by categorizations or being put in boxes. We blend sounds and vibes we like, no matter what genre anyone would call it. On our latest album, you can even hear a slight country/roots influence, but always with a focus on the song.

What's the significance of your band's band?

Back when we started, we spent a long time considering many different band names, trying to come up with something cool and exciting. After a while, we realized that the answer was right there, in front of us: our names! Carol and Ask. Ask Carol. Oh, and Ask is a really Norwegian name, by the way. It comes from the old viking age, from the Norse Mythology. Ask was the first man, together with Embla, the first woman, created by the god Odin from two pieces of Ash wood, as the saga goes. It's a long story; there's plenty of more information online. And you know, if you have any questions, you can always just ask Carol!

What are your musical influences?

Both of us started out as guitarists. Therefore, Jimi Hendrix has been one of our mutual influences. His extraordinary guitar playing and cool sound is awesome. Outside of music, we may be influenced by everything from a good movie or TV show to the trips and adventures we have had.

What are your musical inspirations?

There are so many things that inspire us! From listening to some good old music we've heard a million times before, to discovering something new and really exciting, from watching a movie or TV show to travelling through the vast, breathtaking landscapes and experiencing the wonderful beauty of nature.

If given the chance, what musician(s) would you like to collaborate with? Rather, this is to either write a song or be featured on a track.

Would love to have collaborated with Jimi Hendrix. We would have had so much to learn.

What's the album about?

The album, AC II: Desert Sky, is based around our song "Desert", inspired by the vast and beautiful desert landscapes of the American Southwest. Both after playing SXSW in 2023, and many times on our big US Tour last year, we travelled through those magnificent landscapes. There's a feeling of hope and a feeling of freedom in that huge open space, paired with the harsh reality of that dry and inhospitable environment. Those feelings inspired the album, as well as current events and relevant historical events.

What's something you hope people take away from the new songs on the album?

That's up to each listener; all our songs can be interpreted in many different ways. But our hope is that it can mean something to someone, make them feel something, maybe help them go through their day, or maybe it puts words to feelings they find hard to describe. Or maybe it just makes them feel good, a good vibe. Ask Carol is about much more than just the music, too; we do drawings, artworks, animations, design our merch ourselves, and of course, our videos. It's the Ask Carol world, and hopefully, some people will enjoy taking a peek into it.

Which songs on the album were the most fun to write, and which were the most challenging to write? "Desert" was probably one of the most fun ones, although they were all fun to work on. The biggest challenge came from the fact that this album was in the works for the last few years, all the while we were out and about on some long, intense tours. This meant that it could go months between studio and writing sessions. Touring life as an independent DIY band is super hectic, with action 24/7; there is not even a single second to sit down and work on anything else while on tour. Unfortunately. So, the challenge was to find back to that frame of mind that we had when we last worked on the material and not lose the thread. It took a little longer than our previous album, but in the end, we are very happy with the result!

What did you allow yourself to do creatively for this song that you haven’t in the past?

This was our first-ever song with an acoustic guitar. When you find yourself in a creative rut, what do you usually turn to?

Any habits, environments or even nonmusical sources that help you reconnect with your creativity? Putting on a good TV show or movie, with an interesting story and an immersive vibe, may help, or searching the web for new exciting music (new to us, could be old) that we haven't heard before. Something that piques our interest and challenges our pre-existing beliefs. AKA, usually not what you get with the safe-bet algorithm-driven services.

Do you have any favourite songs off the new album?

"Cold July." It says what we want to say about certain situations; you'll know when you listen.

Do you have any favourite songs to perform live? Could be your own music or even a cover. Any reason why?

That would be "Tonight", because it’s uptempo and energetic and always gets the crowd going. We improvise a lot, it’s got looping, grooves and guitar solos, it’s so much fun to play!

If you could perform a show this very second anywhere in the world, where would it be? Probably in the US or in the Philippines. That's where we've had some of the most amazing crowds ever; they're the most excited and welcoming audiences, and it's so cool to play for them! Also, in Latin America, we've heard great things about the audiences there, and they've been asking for a long time! Especially in Mexico and Brazil, they've been asking for a long time, and would love to do a show in all of the countries south of the US!

Is there any particular venue(s) or city/cities that come to mind?

Well, not really, but one venue that a lot of people have talked about that would fit us perfectly is the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. We didn't understand why everyone were talking about that one venue, but then we saw the pictures, and yes, we agree, it would be awesome to play there! What do you currently have planned for the remainder of the year?

The Holiday season is upon us, Christmas is right around the corner, so we're gonna try to get as much done as possible before we take some time for our families. We're currently booking new tours for 2026, getting started on a promo campaign for our new album, as well as preparing for a new studio period and working on new material. Oh, and we're packing and shipping out vinyls and CDs, we're doing it all ourselves!

What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you while performing?

There's been a lot of weird and funny things happening over the years, haha, but one thing that really stands out and that's a moment we will forever remember, is that time during the lockdown of COVID, when we played outside in our backyard. We were minding our own business, just jamming, playing, having fun, when suddenly we heard trampling beside us, and what do you know, there was this big herd of cows coming running over! It was all of the neighbours' cows, they loved the music, and looked at us with their curious eyes. There was something about it, the vibe, it was so much fun and a memorable moment. Because of the fact that it was in the middle of lockdown, all our big tours had been cancelled a few months earlier due to Covid, the world was in disarray, and we hadn't seen another person in months, it made the moment all the more impactful.

Thanks for the time today, Ask and Carol. Is there anything else you may want to add that I didn't cover before you go? We got lots of exciting stuff coming up next year! The official album 2 vinyl release in January, and US tours later, to name a few things. Stay tuned! And by the way, subscribers to our newsletter will be the first to know! You can also get a free download of our new album if you sign up now!