Watch Ólafur Arnalds’ Video For ‘Woven Song’

Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and composer Ólafur Arnalds today released his new single, ‘Woven Song’, from his forthcoming album Some Kind Of Peace, which will be released on 6 November 2020. “‘Woven Song’ is a defining moment of Some Kind Of Peace,” Ólafur Arnalds’ explained. “A metaphor for being embraced by something larger than yourself while exploring new territories, the feeling of being held while you open your heart. Using an acrylic pouring process called ‘viscous fingering’ to obtain fractal shapes, Thomas Vanz has created a beautiful visual representation of the lifeline that anchors you to the world during a challenging experience.”

Ólafur Arnalds is one of the most influential musicians of modern times: a multi-faceted talent, who has paved the way across the electronic and classical worlds. His new album, Some Kind Of Peace, nonetheless has the feel of a brand new chapter for Ólafur and is his most revealing and vulnerable work to date.

Some Kind Of Peace was inspired by the mantra: “we can’t control anything that happens to us. All we can do is control how we react to what life gives us.” Ólafur Arnalds said, “This album is about what it means to be alive, daring to be vulnerable and the importance of rituals. It is a personal album, my most personal to date, set against a background of a world thrown into chaos. I’ve poured all my love, dreams and fears into this album through a magical but difficult process, but the result is something that makes me immensely proud and happy to be doing what I do.”

Ólafur Arnalds weaves real-world pieces of his life story throughout the album, masterfully using sampling techniques to give the listener a window into his experiences. All the collaborators on the album were key to Ólafur’s life during the making of the album, including British musician Bonobo, Icelandic singer and multi-instrumentalist JFDR who Ólafur has admired for years, and his friend Josin, a German singer-songwriter.

Ólafur Arnalds added, “I felt it was important that the album would tell my story in a very honest way. This album is much closer to my heart than any of the others.”

Throughout the recording Ólafur Arnalds urges you to accept all that life throws at you, to contemplate, and to choose how you react, to find your kind of peace.

Ólafur Arnalds’ new album Some Kind Of Peace will be released on 6 November 2020 and can be pre-ordered here.

Do you want to be the first to hear the latest news from the classical world? Follow uDiscover Classical on Facebook and Twitter.