SACRED BONES
Daniel Dylan Wray
Following on from 2016’s Blood Bitch, the Norwegian artist Jenny Hval returns with an EP (although at 23 minutes, it’s not far off album-length) that carries on blurring the lines between esoteric pop and avant-garde explorations. The opening Spells is infectious in its piano-led twinkling melodies, almost recalling peakperiod Mercury Rev in its subtle yet immersive atmosphere. Hval’s vocals soar above gliding saxophone and a gentle-yet-propulsive electronic beat. It’s a beautiful construct, and a pristine example of Hval’s ability to craft pop from seemingly nowhere – or at least within unconventional song structures. The surging, vocally soaring opening track feels like something of a distant memory by the time The Long Sleep is reached. Based around an 11-minute drone, Hval’s vocals disappear into the background like distant echoes as rumbling, pummelling electronics move the song along. The polar opposition of these two tracks alone is a beautiful embodiment of the vastness of talent Hval possesses.
VERDICT 8/10