Jónsi (Photo by Barnaby Roper)
Jónsi Birgisson, multidisciplinary artist and frontman of Sigur Rós, proudly announces Shiver, his first solo album in a decade, out Oct. 2, on Krunk. The new album features acclaimed vocalists Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins and Robyn, as well as production by PC Music founder A. G. Cook.
A new song from the record, “Swill,” is released today alongside a video by Barnaby Roper and animated by Pandagunda.
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.
Watch the official music video for “Swill” by Jónsi on YouTube:
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).