EIVØR is an artist perfectly adapted to the cruel mutability of nature.
Born and raised in Syðrugøta, a small community of just over 400 people on one of the Northern Faroe Islands, the vocalist, instrumentalist and composer Eivør Pálsdóttir grew up surrounded by the windswept landscape of the North Atlantic, a backdrop which profoundly influenced her cold-chill electronica. So 2020 finds her in a competitive — and contemplative — frame of mind.
Her sour-cream vocalettes bring the same kind of heavenly majesty you’ll find in arctic-alpine cliffs, rugged sandstones, and lava peaks.
Today she releases her new album, ‘Segl’ available to stream from all platforms. The recording includes co-production from Lana Del Rey collaborator Dan Heath, and features a guest appearance from Ásgeir.
‘Segl’ is the follow-up to Eivør’s widely-praised 2017 release & UK commercial debut, ‘Slør’, which triggered her debut appearance on Later… With Jools Holland.
Eivør soundtracks the current series of Netflix/BBC flagship The Last Kingdom (co-written with Ivor Novello/BAFTA-nominated John Lunn), and her music has previously been synched on Homeland & Game Of Thrones alongside hit video games Metal Gear Survive and God Of War.
Eivør’s headline European tour in support of the release is now re-scheduled to 2021 – the string of three UK dates will include London’s Union Chapel on October 23, 2021.
The recent video for single release ‘Let It Come’ (shared below) is a goosebumpish hymn with glacial beats, strikingly kinetic vocal stretches (think Björk) and cardiac synths. This is resilient and self-propelling.
While “Patience” (sung in English with a cloudy cello accompaniment) brings icy blurs of memory, truly deep feelings and that uniquely bright voice that can shine like a dazzling star even in the grimmest of valleys.
‘Segl’ is Eivør’s ninth album, since releasing her debut release, aged 17 – and builds on motifs exploring the journeys we undertake in life, both metaphorically and physically.
The title – it means ‘sail’ in Faroese – alludes to our desire for growth and direction, and the role of fate. “You have to hoist your own sail,” suggests Eivør; “but you cannot control the wind.”
“My creative process can be very chaotic and abstract, so I need to find the space to dive deeper into it and sculpt it,” she says. “After sitting on songs for a year or more, I’d go in and edit the melody or the lyrics. Sometimes the production too. The whole album is very much about change, so it’s quite apt.”
Working closely again with composer/producer Tróndur Bogason (her husband), the extra space allowed Eivør to explore programming and production more thoroughly than before. She pulled apart the writing process, focusing on a free flow of ideas, and enriching collaborations with other writers and producers.
File alongside: Aerial era Kate Bush