Jenny Hval
THE LONG SLEEP
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.