Sigur Rós have announced that they will release a surprise album ‘ÁTTA’.
The LP marks his first studio effort in 10 years and arrives digitally tomorrow (June 16). The physical formats will also be available from 1 September.
Comprised of 10 songs, the upcoming album has been described as “the most personal and emotionally direct record to date”, fueled by a desire to feel a sense of unity when surrounded by turbulent circumstances.
“In a post-pandemic world torn by war, economic turmoil, culture wars and a brutally divisive discourse, ‘ÁTTA’ feels like a soothing, unifying band. That’s what the music asked for and spoke for itself,” reveals Holm.
“This record is like a Sigur Rós album, but it’s more introverted than ever. It’s very broad with the string sound, but it’s more inward than outward.”
Their first release since 2013 “Kveikur” features extensively from the London Contemporary Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ames. He also includes a brass of his former Icelandic collaborators Brassgat í bala.
Recorded across continents – at the band’s Sundlaugin studio in Iceland, at the legendary Abbey Road in the UK, and at various studios in the US – the album is the first to feature the group’s new lineup. Multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson returns after leaving the band in 2012, joining leader Jónsi and bassist Georg Holm.
With the new line, the band realized that they only wanted to have minimal drums and that the music would be really sparse and floaty and beautiful”, explained Jónsi. “We’re getting older and more cynical, so I just wanted to be excited so we’d feel something.”
Sveinsson agrees: “We wanted to allow ourselves to be a bit dramatic and go far with these arrangements. The world needs it now. It’s hard to describe, but for me everything is always open to interpretation. People can think and feel however they want.”
Earlier this week, the band premiered the single “Blóðberg” off the upcoming album, a beautiful track that appears as the second song on the tracklist. Check out the single above.
Here is the ‘ÁTTA’ tracklist:
1. Voice
2. Bloðberg
3. skill
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4. Klettur
5. More
6. Andrew
7. Gold
8. Ylur
9. 9 “Fall
10.’8′
In addition to the release of “ÁTTA”, which will be the eighth album by the former Icelandic rockers, the band will embark on their highly anticipated tour tomorrow.
Sigur Rós’ upcoming tour dates will take them to Europe and North America. Announced in March, tickets for all the concerts, in which the trio will be accompanied by an orchestra, have already been sold out.
The tour kicks off tomorrow at the UK’s Meltdown Festival, hosted by Christine And The Queens. The band will be playing with the London Contemporary Orchestra there. The LCO will also join them on the following dates of their European tour.
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