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Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases
Sigur Rós release first new album in a decade
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 16 June 2023
Sigur Rós have surprise released a new album, almost ten years to the day since their last long player ‘Kveikur’ came out. The new record is called ‘Átta’ and is being released in partnership with BMG, just ahead of their performance with the London Contemporary Orchestra tonight as part of the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown festival.
The album features both frontman Jónsi and bassist Georg Holm along with multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson, who returned to the band last year.
Once back in the studio, Jónsi says, they found themselves “just wanting to have minimal drums and for the music to be really sparse, floaty and beautiful. We’re getting older and more cynical so I just wanted to move us so that we felt something!”
Sveinsson adds: “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”.
Confirming BMG’s involvement in the release, the company’s SVP UK Recordings, Jamie Nelson, says: “Sigur Rós hold a special place in the hearts of so many. Their music is progressive, emotional and timeless, and we are honoured to work with them in supporting their unswerving vision”.
Among the ten tracks on the album is ‘Blóðberg’, the single that was released earlier this week:
