Jónsi, the frontman of Sigur Rós, has announced his fourth studio album ‘First Light’, set for release on 30th August via health and wellbeing music provider Myndstream in collaboration with Lakeshore Records.
The album follows Jónsi’s 2021 release ‘Obsidian’ and is now available for pre-order. To mark the announcement, Jónsi has released two lead singles, ‘Flicker’ and ‘Cherry Blossom’. ‘Flicker’ is an ambient, atmospheric track that builds with flutes and birdsong before culminating in a string finale, while ‘Cherry Blossom’ offers a more meditative experience centred around a peaceful piano solo.
Jónsi explained the album’s origins and concept: “Writing this music at a time of manmade global turmoil and unrest for a video game, I imagined ‘First Light’ as a momentary fantastical, over-the-top, utopian world where everyone and everything lives together in everlasting peace and harmony. 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 project, which began as a video game soundtrack, evolved into a larger work exploring themes of peace, hope, and connection through music. Fans can anticipate the release of two more singles, ‘Forest Trill’ and ‘Undercurrent’, in the near future.
In related news, Sigur Rós will embark on an orchestral US tour later this year in support of their 2022 album ‘ÁTTA’, their first full-length release in a decade. The tour begins on 19th September in Detroit and concludes on 4th October in Austin, Texas.
The dates in full read:
SEPTEMBER
19 Masonic Cathedral Theatre, Detroit, MI
21 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
23 The Met, Philadelphia, PA
25 Anthem, Washington DC
28 DPAC, Durham, NC
30 Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami, FL
OCTOBER
2 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
4 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX
