Jenny Hval Announces New Album Iris Silver Mist

Norwegian experimental artist Jenny Hval has unveiled details of her highly anticipated new album, Iris Silver Mist, set for release on May 2 via 4AD. The album’s title draws inspiration from a fragrance crafted by Maurice Roucel, hinting at the evocative and sensory-rich experience Hval is known for creating through her music. Alongside the announcement, Hval has shared the lead single, “To Be a Rose,” accompanied by a captivating music video that offers a glimpse into her artistic journey over the past decade.

The video for “To Be a Rose,” directed and edited by Jenny Berger Myhre, is a collage of tour footage spanning from 2015 to 2024. It serves as a visual diary, capturing intimate moments and performances that reflect Hval’s evolution as an artist. The song itself is a restless exploration of pop structures, with Hval describing it as a piece that “has a chorus, with chords and a melody, but each chorus sounds slightly different, like we are experiencing the melody from different seasons, decades, or even different bodies.”

Lyrically, “To Be a Rose” delves into themes of transformation and interconnectedness. Hval explains, “The clichéd rose metaphor in the song is equally restless. It can change shape into a cigarette and then evaporate to smoke.” The track also weaves in personal reflections as Hval sings about her mother and their shared moments of restlessness: “I was singing in my room; she smoked on the balcony/Long inhales and long exhales performed in choreography.” Ultimately, the song is a meditation on how “one thing becomes another thing, how we all come from somewhere and someone, and how this is stranger and more powerful than we think.”

Iris Silver Mist marks Hval’s first full-length album since 2022’s Classic Objects. The new record features 13 tracks, many of which were developed and refined during live performances last year before being recorded. This approach, as Hval notes, emphasizes “the physical and live elements of music,” showcasing her commitment to creating immersive and dynamic soundscapes.

In support of the album, Hval has announced a series of tour dates across Europe this spring. The journey begins in Madrid, Spain, on April 5, followed by stops in London, Brussels, Berlin, and Amsterdam. The tour will culminate in her hometown of Oslo, Norway, on June 5. Fans can expect Hval to bring her signature blend of art-pop experimentation and thought-provoking storytelling to the stage, offering a live experience that mirrors the depth and complexity of her recorded work.

With Iris Silver Mist, Jenny Hval continues to push the boundaries of music and art, inviting listeners to explore the fluidity of identity, memory, and connection. “To Be a Rose” is just the beginning of what promises to be another groundbreaking chapter in her career.