Ambient musician and vocal artist JULIANNA BARWICK has announced her sophomore album Nepenthe. It’s the follow-up to her 2011 debut The Magic Place and will be out on 12 August in the UK and on 20 August in North America.
Recorded in Iceland, the album was produced with support by Alex Somers, known as member of JÓNSI & ALEX, the side project of SIGUR RÓS‘ vocalist JÓNSI, and features local Icelandic artists such as guitarist Róbert Sturla Reynisson of MÚM, the string ensemble Amiina and a choir of teenage girls.
As her new label Dead Oceans stated „the biggest influence on Nepenthe was the unfamiliar surroundings of Iceland itself, with its vibrant music scene and stunningly alien landscapes with their lingering magic.“ Furthermore, it said: „Nepenthe is intimate without being introspective. Instead it’s a radiant array of light-dappled choral works, drawing a powerful sense of hope from the depths of despair. The extra musicians have rounded out her sound, emphasizing the yearning mood, the reaching towards the light.“
A first listen to Nepenthe you can take through the song One Half right here: