Anna von Hausswolff presented by Thalia Hall and Empty Bottle

Anna von Hausswolff is a Swedish musician and composer whose work carves out space for the celestial and the transcendent to enter into the modern world. Following her breakthrough album, Ceremony (2012), von Hausswolffs subsequent releases quickly cemented her as an artist of unpredictable and vast creativity, always moving forward, always melding tradition with experimentation in unimaginable ways. Taking the pipe organ, with its ancient whirring character, as her instrument of choice, von Hausswolfs sound has long played with the ethereal qualities of breath: of taking in, holding, and releasing it. This sometimes takes the form of colossal, doom-laden rock songs, and at other times, as intimate organpieces. On ICONOCLASTS, her sound evolves again, bringing a poppier and more vibrant element to her moving songs. ICONOCLASTS is von Hausswolfs sixth LP, and her debut release on Swedish record label YEAR 0001. Produced by von Hausswolf and longtime collaborator Filip Leyman, it is an opus of stirring movement, anthemic ritualism, and maximalist composition, marking a new chapter in von Hausswolffs music and featuring appearances from Ethel Cain, Abul Mogard, Iggy Pop and Maria von Hausswolf.ICONOCLASTS begins with brass heralding out, beckoning listeners into the boundless story that is about to unfold. Before long, von Hausswolfs first beaming vocals ring out: I came to take you back to where you came from, but thats not what you want. From this, the groundwork is set for an album of blistering, mounting tension and hard-fought, euphoric release. Addressing themes of love, freedom, and autonomy, its title, ICONOCLASTS, hints at a shattering and reimagining of the sacred personal symbols that bubble under the surface of contemporary life: commitment, time, dependency, and belief.In this pursuit, von Hausswolff chooses Atlashe who carries the worlds weight upon his shouldersas a sympathetic character. How does one find the strength to prevent collapsing in these tryi