Jenny Hval releases ‘The artist is absent’, the second single from her new album Iris Silver Mist, out May 2nd. The new single comes in two versions — an extended mix ’89 seconds rewrite’ and the original album version.
Following the “highly specific and alluringly strange” lead single, ‘To be a rose’, ‘The artist is absent’ encapsulates this feeling. Hval sings: “A stage without a show / A hazy silhouette around an empty space / A club without a club.” Accompanying ‘The artist is absent (89 second rewrite)’ are visuals directed by director Jenny Merger Myhre and featuring Hval and longtime collaborator Orfee Schuijt.
Named after the fragrance made by the French perfume house Serge Lutens, Hval’s Iris Silver Mist also moves like a scent – between flower and smoke, ghostly yet alive. Iris Silver Mist started with the absence of music; as live music disappeared during the pandemic Hval filled the void with perfume. It was only later she understood why: she was searching for another way to sense presence, to fill the emptiness music had left behind.
Listen / purchase ‘The artist is absent’ here.
Pre-order / pre-save Iris Silver Mist here.
