Sigur Rós’ Jónsi has announced a new album, First Light, due on August 30th via Myndstream in collaboration with Lakeshore Records. Today, along with the announcement, Jónsi has shared the album’s first two singles, “Flicker” and “Cherry Blossom.”
Written by Jónsi and focusing on themes of peace, hope, and connection, First Light actually began as a score for a video game, but eventually expanded into a full-fledged album. “Writing this music at a time of man-made global turmoil and unrest for a video game,” Jónsi said, “I imagined First Light as a momentary fantastical, over-the-top, utopian world where everyone and everything lives together in everlasting peace and harmony.”
Continuing, he emphasized the ideas of “Choosing beauty over disorder, hope over fear, our universal divine angel guardians watching over us and connecting us all as one through love, melody, and music.”
The singles, “Flicker” and “Cherry Blossom,” certainly present a resonant, reflective sound. The former is built around pulsating synth-lines, which cascade over and over until it settles into a meditative groove. The latter features a warm piano line, colored by atmospheric ethereal touches. Stream the singles below.
Meanwhile, Sigur Rós released their first new album in a decade, Átta, last year. This September, they’ll embark on a US tour with a full orchestra. Grab tickets here.
First Light Artwork:
First Light Tracklist:
01. Flicker
02. First Light
03. Green Meadow
04. Clearing
05. Cherry Blossom
06. In Plain View
07. Wishful Thinking
08. Forest Trill
09. Undercurrent
10. Willow
11. Stillness
12. Floweret
13. Over the Fence
14. Flutterby