Last year, Sigur Rós staged their first world tour in five years. The Icelandic band must have liked how it felt because they’ve decided to drop their first studio album in 10 years, Átta.
The 10-track LP arrives tomorrow, June 16, across all digital platforms before enjoying a physical release on September 1. All pre-ordering options are available here.
This week welcomed the atmospheric lead single, “Blóðberg,” which was also their first original single in seven years.
“As you hear on Átta, there’s a new compulsion and drive to the band that comes with the new formation of the line up. Multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson is back in the fold – having left the band in 2012 — to join frontman Jónsi and bassist Georg Holm,” a press release explained.
Sveinsson offered perspective on where the band is coming from, saying in a statement, “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.”
Holm added, “This record sounds like a Sigur Rós album, but it’s more introverted than before. It’s very expansive with this sound of strings, but it looks within more than outside.”
Sigur Rós plans to commemorate Átta‘s surprise arrival with sold-out live shows this summer backed by a 41-piece orchestra.
Check the Átta tracklist and the band’s upcoming tour dates below.
1. “Glóð”
2. “Blóðberg”
3. “Skel”
4. “Klettur”
5. “Mór”
6. “Andrá”
7. “Gold”
8. “Ylur”
9. “Fall”
10. “8”
06/16 — London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall
06/17 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Concertgebouw
06/18 — Hamburg, Germany @ Elbphilharmonie
07/03 — Paris, France @ Philharmonie Main Hall
08/14 — Toronto, ON @ Roy Thomson Hall
08/16 — New York City, NY @ Beacon Theatre
08/18 — Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
08/19 — Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre
08/21 — Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
08/24 — Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre
08/26 — Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley
08/27 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
