Sigur Rós released their first full length album since 2013’s Kveikur today. The album, titled Átta, or “Eight” in english, features the former keyboardist, who rejoined in 2022. This is the first album recorded with him since 2012’s Valtari.

There are only a handful of bands that still invoke the same sense of excitement I felt as when I would go to a 24 hour department store at midnight to buy the latest release the minute it was available. Upon finding out yesterday, that Sigur Rós was releasing a surprise album, I nearly stayed up until midnight, in hopes it would reveal itself on the streaming platforms the minute the clock struck 12:00. Not quite the same experience.

Listening to a new Sigur Rós album is, for me, like exploring a new town for the first time, or driving through a thunderstorm, or laying down on a field, surrounded by wildflowers, after a long hike through the wilderness. It’s an experience that refuses to allow the listener to be a bystander, but instead, forces them to open themselves to the unexpected.

I encourage everyone to check out the new album, and if they like what they hear, to definitely go back to the beginning of this band’s illustrious career and listen to everything they’ve ever made. You won’t be disappointed.