Sigur Rós release their first single in seven years, 'Blóðberg'
Iceland’s most successful acts of all time have released the single ahead of a string of sold-out shows across Europe and America.
Icelandic supergroup Sigur Rós surprised fans today with the release of their first new, original song in nearly a decade, ahead of the band's sold out Europe and North America tour.
The song, titled ‘Blóðberg’, is an epic orchestral piece that unfurls itself across seven minutes, and may indicate a long-awaited new album, the band’s first in a decade.
The piece takes its time to assemble as mournful strings build to lush, rippling orchestral sweeps, while frontman Jónsi Birgisson’s divine vocals ascend to the most heart-wrenching of high registers. The staggering weight of the new single is matched in kind by its devastating music video, directed by Johan Renck.
Renck, who also directed HBO miniseries Chernobyl as well as music videos by Madonna, Robyn and Beyoncé, said the song speaks to his feelings of "nihilism regarding the future".
"We are powerless against our own stupidities. Some aspects of this came to merge with my impressions of the themes of 'Blóðberg'. The music becoming a score to my own miserable thoughts, giving them beauty as only music can.”
Out now, Blóðberg, the first new single from Sigur Rós in seven years. https://t.co/AXhYXulDky
#sigurros8 pic.twitter.com/DFcC2gBnu3
— Sigur Rós (@sigurros) June 12, 2023
The song is the first in a decade to feature multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson back in the fold – having left the band in 2012 – alongside frontman Jónsi and bassist Georg Holm.
A monumental collaboration project for the Icelandic band, ‘Blóðberg’ features the London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO), and is mixed and co-produced by another frequent collaborator Paul Corley, alongside the band.
Sigur Rós’ Summer 2023 tour launches in London on June 16th and continues across Europe and North America through August. The performances will all feature orchestral accompaniment from the LCO, keeping with the band’s most recent release, 2020’s archival, strings-laden LP Odin’s Raven Magic.
Listen to 'Blóðberg' below.
