Julianna Barwick releases stunning single ‘In Light’, featuring Jónsi from Sigur Rós via Ninja Tune. The single is off Barwick’s new album ‘Healing Is A Miracle’ which is out on 10th July and will be her 6th album.
It is an absolutely breathtaking masterpiece of choral sounds, shifting light and shade with the evocation of dreams and visions of another world – familiar but distant. This must be what it sounds like to sit and watch the sun rise for the first time on that world; a feeling of awe and love and joy at what nature can produce but without the ability to take it all in. Hyperbole? Absolutely not! This is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music you will hear this year.
It comes with an equally beautiful video which was directed by Joel Kazuo Knoernschild and features Barwick in a flowing red outfit in various scenes – a rocky shoreline, a desert, a forest and what looks like Death Valley – dancing and moving in a way that looks free and at peace with the world. It’s a simple yet mesmerising visual accompaniment to the track.
It’s clear why Barwick wanted to collaborate with Icelandic singer Jónsi, the genius behind Sigur Rós. The influences are clear and collaborating with him has long been a dream of Barwick’s:
I think he has the best voice in the world, and hearing my voice with Jónsi’s is one of the joys of my life.
Barwick first met Jónsi when she worked with producer Alex Somers at his studio in Reykjavík in 2012, a trip which created and sealed a connection for Barwick with Iceland and the people there. Alex and Jónsi helped build Barwick’s sound:
The first song I remember making with those was the first song on the album, Inspirit. When I added the bass I really felt it in my body, you know, in a way you just wouldn’t with headphones… it was kind of euphoric and fun. I got really excited about making the record in that moment, and I think that really had an impact on the sounds I ended up making.
Barwick recorded her new album in the wake of a seismic shift in her life following a move from New York—where she had lived for 16 years—to Los Angeles where she is now based. The title of the album “Healing Is A Miracle” is a record which came to her after thinking about how the human body heals itself, of the miraculous processes we pay little attention to:
You cut your hand, it looks pretty bad, and two weeks later it looks like it never happened… That’s kind of amazing, you know?
The idea of healing underpins the whole album and is also coursing through the veins of ‘In Light’. This is musical gold dust, a real joy in every single sense.
LP / CD / Digital
https://julianna.lnk.to/healing
1. Inspirit
2. Oh, Memory ft. Mary Lattimore
3. Healing Is A Miracle
4. In Light ft. Jónsi
5. Safe
6. Flowers
7. Wishing Well
8. Nod ft. Nosaj Thing
Follow Julianna Barwick here:
Spotify: https://found.ee/juliannabarwick-sp
Apple Music: https://found.ee/juliannabarwick-am
Instagram: https://found.ee/juliannabarwick-ig
Facebook: https://found.ee/juliannabarwick-fb
Twitter: https://found.ee/juliannabarwick-tw
Youtube: https://found.ee/juliannabarwick-yt
Bandcamp: https://found.ee/juliannabarwick-bc
Soundcloud: https://found.ee/juliannabarwick-sc
