Faroese electronica artist Eivør today releases the video to accompany her new single, ‘Sleep On It’. Directed by Einar Egils and shot on location in Iceland, the video also features actor Tómas Lemarquis (Blade Runner 2049, X-Men: Apocalypse). ‘Sleep On It’ is lifted from Copenhagen-based Eivør’s forthcoming new album, ‘Segl’ (due September 18, 2020) the follow-up to her widely-praised 2017 release ‘Slør’. Featuring a guest appearance from Ásgeir and co-production from Lana Del Rey collaborator Daniel Heath, ‘Segl’ will be accompanied by an extensive 34 date international tour from Eivør, including 4 UK dates kicking off at London’s Union Chapel on October 22, 2020. Stream the video for ‘Sleep On It’ from here.
Einar Egils’ striking new video tracks the propulsive, elemental electronica of ‘Sleep On It’ to an apocalyptic scenario in a remote corner of the earth. Speaking about the ideas which played into the creation of the video, he explains; “The world has been ending for years, and here we find those who are left on our planet. They have been stuck in this loop of a party for as long as they can remember and are desperate for a solution. They will sacrifice Eivør, and by doing so they fall into their inevitable sleep, forever.”
Speaking about the interplay between the video & the new track – which she wrote following a bad bout of insomnia – Eivør observes; “The video portrays a desperate and isolated situation. Sleep On It’ is a song about making choices – it’s like a late night flow of consciousness. Sometimes making a wrong choice might be the only way to eventually make the right one. This is the first song I wrote for my new album, and it was written during a sleepless night 3 years ago in my apartment in Copenhagen. Most of all this song portrays hope to me. Regardless of one’s past, or “old habits”, it’s never too late to change”.
Eivør hails from the remote Scandinavian archipelago of The Faroe Islands, where she grew up in a tiny village with a population of just 453. The release of ‘Slør’ saw Eivør make her debut in the UK with the anglophile version of an album previously recorded entirely in Faroese, following a painstaking period of translation & re-recording. Whilst ‘Slør’ – which also triggered Eivør’s debut on Later…..With Jools Holland – was her commercial British debut, in Nordic territories Eivør Pálsdóttir is a veteran artist of over 16 years standing.
Immersing herself in music from 13, Eivør fronted a trip-hop band after discovering seminal albums by Massive Attack and Portishead. Gigs soon followed, held afloat in rowing boats, in the pitch-black darkness of a huge cave on the island of Hestur. At 16 Eivør quit school, moving alone to Reykjavik to release her debut album and pursue classical singing training. She has since won the Icelandic Music Prize, twice – the first non-Icelandic artist to do so. The approval of contemporaries including John Grant and Ásgeir, a move from Iceland to Copenhagen, and numerous sync spots across TV and film are all testament to the crossover appeal of her music. Eivør also collaborated on the soundtrack for Metal Gear Solid and performed to a global audience of 50 million at the launch of God Of War.
