Sigur Rós have announced that they will be releasing a surprise album ‘ÁTTA’.
The LP marks their first new studio effort in 10 years, and will arrive digitally tomorrow (June 16). Physical formats will also be available from September 1, pre-order the album here.
Consisting of 10 tracks, the upcoming album has been described as their “most intimate and emotionally direct record to date”, and was inspired by that desire for a feeling of unity when overwhelmed by the tumultuous circumstances.
“In a post-pandemic world torn apart by war, economic turmoil, culture wars, and brutally divisive discourse, ‘ÁTTA’ feels like a balming and unifying bond. It’s what the music asked for and spoke for itself,” reveals Hólm.
“This record sounds like a Sigur Rós album, but it’s more introverted than before. It’s very expansive with this sound of strings, but it looks within more than outside.”
Their first release since 2013’s ‘Kveikur’, the upcoming release features expansive contributions from the London Contemporary Orchestra conducted by Robert Ames. It also includes brass performed by longtime Icelandic collaborators Brassgat í bala.
Recorded across multiple continents – in the band’s Sundlaugin studio in Iceland, the legendary Abbey Road in the UK and several studios in the US – the album is the first to feature the new formation of the line-up. This comes as multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson returns following his departure from the band in 2012, joining frontman Jónsi and bassist Georg Holm.
With the new line-up, the band found themselves “just wanting to have minimal drums and for the music to be really sparse, floaty and beautiful,” explained Jónsi. “We’re getting older and more cynical so I just wanted to move us so that we felt something!”
Sveinsson agreed: “We wanted to allow ourselves to be a bit dramatic and go far with these arrangements. The world needs that right now. It’s hard to describe, but for me, everything is always open to interpretation. People can think and feel how they want.”
Earlier this week, the band teased the forthcoming album by releasing the single ‘Blóðberg’ — an enchanting track that appears as the second song on the tracklist. Check out the single above.
The ‘ÁTTA’ tracklist is:
1. ‘Glóð’
2. ‘Blóðberg’
3. ‘Skel’
4. ‘Klettur’
5. ‘Mór’
6. ‘Andrá’
7. ‘Gold’
8. ‘Ylur’
9. ‘Fall’
10. ‘8’
Alongside releasing ‘ÁTTA’ – which will be the eighth release from the Icelandic post-rock veterans – tomorrow will also see the band embark on their long-awaited tour.
Sigur Rós’s upcoming tour dates will see them make stops across Europe and North America. Announced back in March, all of the shows have now sold out, and will see the trio accompanied by an orchestra at each of their shows.
The tour will kick off their tour at Meltdown Festival in the UK tomorrow, organised by Christine And The Queens. Here, the band will perform with the London Contemporary Orchestra. The LCO will also accompany them on their following European tour dates.
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