Just ahead of his first solo LP in a decade, Shiver, released on Friday 2nd October (via Krunk), Jónsi shares the single “Salt Licorice” featuring Swedish pop icon Robyn.
An ode to “Scandinavian Pain”, “Salt Licorice” sees the two vocalists traverse a rugged sonic terrain laid out by PC Music founder and Charli XCX musical director A. G. Cook. It’s an aggressive take on ballroom house with a thumping, propulsive beat and loud, piercing chimes, pulled together in a tumult of sounds. Through it all, Jónsi & Robyn commiserate about the coldness of ageing, nostalgia and depression, sorrows that are made easier when shared with a kindred soul.
“‘Salt Licorice’ is such a cute and perfect pop song,” says Robyn. “It makes me want to dance violently and make out at the same time. It was a no-brainer to say yes to singing it with Jónsi. The pretty emails I get with a thousand emojis in them from him is a bonus that came with our collaboration as well!”
Watch the “Salt Licorice” video BELOW:
New album Shiver plumbs the depths of the human experience and our connection to the natural world. It pits the organic and dreamlike qualities of Jónsi against A. G. Cook’s synthetic, sometimes abrasive, and avant-garde experimentalism. On paper, their collaboration is surprising, but Shiver only continues Jónsi’s quest to push the boundaries of not just what we consider art, but how we experience it.
In 2019, Jónsi had his first solo art installation at the renowned Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Los Angeles where his installation work explored the depths of sound. Jónsi has expanded his artistic practice over the past few years in a series of collaborations with visual artists such as Doug Aitken, Olafur Eliasson, Merce Cunningham and most recently the artist and composer Carl Michael von Hausswolf with whom he formed the musical duo Dark Morph.
Jónsi’s interests and talents extend far beyond the reach of a traditional musician, he has always been multidisciplinary. Among his serious pursuits is a years-long study of scent and perfume, an alchemy he has combined with his installation art (each of his artworks at his exhibition had its own scent).
Jónsi – Shiver Album Tracklisting
1. Exhale
2. Shiver
3. Cannibal (with Elizabeth Fraser)
4. Wildeye
5. Sumarið Sem Aldrei Kom
6. Kórall
7. Salt Licorice (with Robyn)
8. Hold
9. Swill
10. Grenade
11. Beautiful Boy
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