Ólöf Arnalds’ return – 11 years after her sumptuous last record ‘Palme’ – is a most welcome if slightly minimalist comeback. Gone are the extravagant instrumentations of yore, as if getting back to her roots was key to this late 2025 project released in the form of an early Christmas gift.
Having explored other sides of her creativity and settled down in the interim, ‘Spira’ (‘Sprout’) finds Arnalds on tranquil, low-key, and inspired form. This quiet album shows her natural ability in these acoustic, warm, and compelling tales, a dexterity with the guitar strumming, her vocals, and the moods (assisted by long-term musical collaborator and now-husband Skúli Sverrisson and Davíð Þór Jónsson).
Her native Icelandic tongues swirls around the listener, all snow, icebergs and winter lights, the darkness simultaneously embraced and kept at bay.
While little strays too far from the acoustic Icelandic folk song template, the undeniable roots of the artist, there is an abundance of beauty, elegance, and charm to the album. Arnalds’ voice is now loaded with a middle-aged wisdom and motherliness whilst still retaining the youthfulness and exuberance of her past – a mighty fine trick indeed.
Her love of words and melodies spills from her, and as the finest melodies are stumbled upon the record hits its peaks, her voice whisking the listener away to Scandinavian climes.
Where might Arnalds go next? – something else rooted in the more traditional and sparser, or else a return to a more symphonic, or perhaps something even more electronic? With a voice like Arnalds’ it isn’t hard to hear it working over many different types of music. If she felt adventurous, she could easily explore new terrain.
It might be worth acknowledging Arnalds as something of an acquired taste, perhaps not for everyone. Not everything here is exquisite, but the stories, in the somewhat secretive tongue of Icelandic are loaded with character beguiling far beyond language. It is akin to being invited to a private feast, sitting at a regal table with delicious foods atop and splendid ornate decorations around.
While some of her contemporaries reach further by slipping an English-language jacket on, Arnalds, by sticking to her native tongue, firmly embeds all that she does with the culture of her ancestors, thereby staying true to herself, and arriving as an impressive and challenging force.
The music here stands up all by itself, not in need of further instrumentation to dress the songs up. So, a wonderful return reflecting the artist’s new found tranquillity. You just cannot fault it at all. Here lies great beauty.
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While streamed versions have been released the physical album will come out on 23rd January.
Find her on:
Website (label): https://bellaunion.com/pages/olof-arnalds
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OlofArnalds
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olofarnalds/ Bandcamp: https://olofarnalds.bandcamp.com/
