A SIMMERING, fervid forge of modern post-punk, Copenhagen’s Iceage have unravelled in unexpected and thrilling fashion since their 2011 iconic debut.
Forthcoming album Seek Shelter, as glimpsed previously with Holding Hand, and now Vendetta, sees them unfurling their musical wings to an ever-widening span; working with new elements: the illustrious psych grandmaster Pete “Sonic Boom” Kember becoming a “sparring partner” for the band as their first outside producer, as “another wayward mind to bounce ideas off” while honing the unique talents at their core.
With new single “Vendetta”, the vibrant yet stoic, slow-burning electronic beat and blues signatures present another addition to Iceage.
Although emitting a bright sheen, the scathing guitars and sinister synth beat, plus Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s embattled vocals, portray the ubiquity of crime. “Crime is the undercurrent that runs through everything.”, Rønnenfelt says.
In its invincible politics, it is the glue that binds it all together. ‘Vendetta’ is an impartial dance along the illicit lines of infraction”.
The band have also released a video for the track, starring Iceage members and the actor Zlatko Burić. Director Jonas Bang explains: “We wanted it to be less 1:1 story and more short format collage-ish – like if you flick through a chapter in a book reading a bit here and there.”
On the new record, besides the added volatility of Kember in the Iceage mixture, the quartet of Elias Bender Rønnenfelt, Jakob Tvilling Pless, Johan Surrballe Wieth, and Dan Kjær Nielsen has been expanded by additional guitarist Casper Morilla Fernandez, bringing new fire to the already propulsive tundra of the group.
The familiar dark atmosphere of yore prevails here too: the album was recorded in Lisbon’s Namouche studio, where rain dripped onto the band during recording, forcing them to arrange their equipment around the puddles, whilst Kember created ambience through the placing of garden lamps in the high-ceiling space. This birthed a collection of tracks providing warmth, and a yearning optimism amongst an increasing chaos.
Even Rønnenfelt expresses surprise at the album’s genesis- a vast transition from earlier albums. “When we started, I think we were just lashing out, completely blindfolded with no idea as to why and how we were doing anything.
“For Seek Shelter, we had a definite vision of how we wanted the album to be carved out, yet still the end result came as a surprise in terms of where we sonically were able to push our boundaries.”
Iceage release Seek Shelter on Mexican Summer, on May 7th. Watch the video for Vendetta below, and pre-order your copy here.
