The track was released with a video of the Icelandic band performing the Paris show over top the recorded single. The first single off the album, Dvergmal, featured a similar video and was released in October of this year.

Along with front-man Jonsi and bassist Georg Holm, Stendur æva features singer Steindor Andersen and other Icelandic artists such as Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, Maria Huld and Markan Sigfusdottir. This will be the first full-length album from Sigur Rós in 7 years, having released Kveikur back in 2013.

The late 1990’s and early 2000’s saw the band a large amount of success via multiple UK and US tours, Grammy and Icelandic award nominations and many high-status television features such as London Summer Olympics, Planet Earth and Slum Dog Millionaire. These accomplishments were mostly due to the most successful song that the band has ever released, the 2005 single Hoppipolla. This track became a massive world-wide hit and still remains relevant even in 2020 when it featured on Netflix’s ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’.

In 2009 the band went on a four year hiatus while Jonsi pursued a solo-career with his debut album Go. By 2010 however, Jonsi announced at his solo Coachella performance that the band would be back together soon, by 2013 their latest album was released to critical praise and featured on the HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’.

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Since their latest full-length album Kveikur, the band has only released a series of mixtapes, re-releases or live sound-baths. A partial reason why Sigur Rós has not released a full-length album in 7 years is because of the multiple scandals they have been dealing with the last few years.

Original band member Dyrason was accused of sexual assault and resigned from the band in 2018 because of such allegations. The band also experienced a run in with the law for tax evasion, however after several tax suits their case was eventually thrown out in 2019.

Safety concerns around the Covid-19 global pandemic has kept the Icelandic band from scheduling any 2020 concerts or festivals around the UK. There is still no information on whether they will return to live in person shows to promote their upcoming album throughout UK or Ireland in 2021.

Stendur æva is now available for streaming and download and the music video can be seen on YouTube or the band’s social media. Odin’s Raven Magic is now available for pre-order or pre-save on all platforms.

breathe in… breathe out… “exhale” coming April 23. Prod. by @agcook404 & Jónsi. click here to pre-save: https://t.co/0zzLdn6yVV pic.twitter.com/LBLhbfwkMa

— Jónsi (@iamjonsi) April 13, 2020

Sparse, despondent piano chords stir the track into life, accompanied by a breathy vocal delivery that lives up to the promise of the song’s title. It’s easy to forget at this point that co-producing alongside Jónsi is avant-pop provocateur A.G. Cook, the founder of the internet-based label PC Music.

Easy, that is, until we’re reminded of Cook’s presence when a staccato of his breakbeats mince their way through the lush bedrock provided for him. Watch the single’s official music video below, directed by American actor Giovanni Ribisi as well as Jónsi himself.

Surprisingly enough, this isn’t the first time Jónsi has embarked on a pop crossover. That accolade goes to “Revelation“, a collaborative single he released with the Australian pop star Troye Sivan way back in 2018.

Despite an end to Jónsi’s dry spell, a follow-up to Go has not been announced yet. Though if you’re champing at the bit for more from the post-rock pioneer, you’re in luck; as one half of the ambient duo Dark Morph (the other being Swedish composer Carl Michael von Hausswolff) Jónsi will appear on the sequel to their 2019 self-titled album in May. Pre-order the album here.

Photo Credit: Lilja Birgisdóttir