Norwegian artist Jenny Hval has announced her new album, Iris Silver Mist, set for release on May 2 via 4AD. The album takes its name from a fragrance created by renowned perfumer Maurice Roucel. Alongside the announcement, Hval has shared the lead single, “To Be a Rose,” accompanied by a music video composed of tour footage spanning nearly a decade. The video was shot and edited by Jenny Berger Myhre. Watch it below.
A Restless Pop Structure: “To Be a Rose”
Discussing the single, Hval describes “To Be a Rose” as a song built on a “restless pop structure.” She explains, “It has a chorus, with chords and a melody, but each chorus sounds slightly different, as if experienced from different seasons, decades, or even different bodies.” The song’s lyrical imagery is fluid and evolving, using the rose as a metaphor that transforms into a cigarette and then dissipates into smoke. Hval also reflects on personal connections within the song, sharing, “My mother and I (two restless humans) are both present in the song: I was singing in my room, she smoked on the balcony. Long inhales and long exhales performed in choreography.”
The Album: Iris Silver Mist
Following 2022’s Classic Objects, Iris Silver Mist features 13 tracks, some of which were developed in live performances before being recorded. Hval emphasizes the importance of the physicality of live music in shaping the album’s sound.
Iris Silver Mist Tracklist:
- Lay Down
- To Be a Rose
- I Want to Start at the Beginning
- All Night Long
- Heiner Muller
- You Died
- Spirit Mist
- I Don’t Know What Free Is
- The Artist Is Absent
- Huffing My Arm
- The Gift
- A Ballad
- I Want the End to Sound Like This
Tour Dates
Hval will support Iris Silver Mist with a series of live performances across Europe, starting in April.
- April 5 – Madrid, Spain – Electronica en Abril
- May 21 – London, England – Islington Assembly Hall
- May 23 – Brussels, Belgium – Les Nuits Botanique
- May 27 – Berlin, Germany – Silent Green (Betonhalle)
- May 30 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Muziekgebouw
- June 5 – Oslo, Norway – Parkteatret
Iris Silver Mist marks another chapter in Hval’s career, blending poetic lyricism with experimental soundscapes. With her emphasis on transformation and the live experience, this album is set to be an immersive and evocative journey for listeners.
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