Album Review: ÁTTA by Sigur Rós

Attantion please In their years of peak activity, Sigur Ros' music seemed to nurture a state of perpetual germination, teeming with life and childlike wonder at every turn: frontman Jónsi's falsetto was something akin to the sight of a chick emerging wide-eyed from its egg, and each and every one of their umpteen saccharine flourishes smacked of innocence conserved rather than lost. Anyone who dwelled on when they might finally grow up had magnificently missed the point - and yet, their long-awaited comeback Átta sees them emerge from a difficult set of years as an unmistakably 'mature' band. This says as much for the record's comparatively austere approach as for its context: Sigur Ros' prospects were immediately dented when drummer Orri Páll Dýrason (the driving force behind 2013's excellent Kveikur) left the band following sexual assault allegations in 2018.

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Has it really been so long…? Pre-match hype bills 'ÁTTA' as the first new album from Sigur Rós in almost a decade, and a quick check on streaming reveals that's absolutely correct. The longest gap in their career , 'ÁTTA' picking up where they left off, producing works outstanding beauty - slow of pace, yet rich in feeling; deftly experimental yet also daringly melodic. For those familiar to the band's work, the album presents something of an oasis of calm.

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