Sigur Rós have surprise released their new album Átta

Sigur Ros promo image — (Image credit: Tim Dunk)

Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Rós have released their eighth album, Átta. The album was added to streaming services today, and follows the release of the 10-minute single Blóðberg earlier this week. Physical editions will be released on September 1, and are available to pre-order now.

“In a post-pandemic world torn apart by war, economic turmoil, culture wars, and brutally divisive discourse, Átta feels like a balming and unifying bond," says multi-instrumentalist Georg 'Goggi' Hólm. "It’s what the music asked for and spoke for itself.

“This record sounds like a Sigur Rós album, but it’s more introverted than before. It’s very expansive with this sound of strings, but it looks within more than outside.”

“We wanted to allow ourselves to be a bit dramatic and go far with these arrangements," adds Kjartan "Kjarri" Sveinsson. "The world needs that right now. It’s hard to describe, but for me everything is always open to interpretation. People can think and feel how they want.”

Átta is the follow-up to 2013’s Kveikur, and features contributions from the London Contemporary Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ames.

News of Átta's release comes as Sigur Rós prepare to embark on an orchestral tour of Europe and North America. The run of 12 dates kicks off this evening at the Meltdown Festival in London, which is curated by Christine and the Queens. Full dates below.

Sigur Rós tour 2023

Jun 16: London Royal Festival Hall, UK
Jun 17: Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Netherlands
Jun 18: Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Germany
Jul 03: Paris Philharmonie Main Hall, France

Aug 14: Toronto Roy Thomson Hall, ON
Aug 16: New York City Beacon Theatre, NY
Aug 18: Brooklyn Kings Theatre, NY
Aug 19: Boston Wang Theatre, MA
Aug 21: Minneapolis State Theatre, MN
Aug 24: Seattle The Paramount Theatre, WA
Aug 26: Berkeley The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley, CA
Aug 27: Los Angeles The Greek Theatre, CA

Check for ticket availability.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.