For the first time in 10 years, Jónsi has returned with a brand new song Exhale, along with a new video directed by himself and Giovanni Ribisi. Exhale is his first solo work in over a decade and was co-produced by Jónsi and A. G. Cook.
Exhale begins softly, featuring Jónsi and a somber piano. Over a bed of pillowy, glitchy synths, and piano, Jónsi repeats “just let it go now / it isn’t your fault,” which feels like both a mission statement as well as a guide for living in the tumultuous 21st century.
The accompanying visuals depict a dancer emerging from a black polyethylene tarp. As the song crescendos, and more instruments and a muffled beat enter the fray, the dancer’s mesmerizing movements toss pieces of the fabric into the air, where they float like leaves in the wind. Watch the video clip via YouTube below.
You can also stream Exhale here
Jónsi made a career on sweeping music that plumbed the depths of the human experience and our connection to the natural world. With his multi-million selling, award-winning band Sigur Rós, Jónsi transmuted the rugged terrain of Iceland into music that sounds pure, organic and untouched by the modern world, even as it exists comfortably within it. Cook’s production exists at the opposite end of the spectrum: synthetic, sometimes abrasive, and often on the cutting edge of experimentalism. On paper, their collaboration is surprising, but Exhale is a beautiful track that pushes Jonsi’sotherworldly voice into startling new territories.
Earlier this year, Jónsi had his first solo art exhibition at the renowned Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Los Angeles. The avant-garde pieces explored the ways sound impacts the senses in more ways than just hearing.
