Kiasmos, the duo of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen, have shared a new single, entitled “Burst.” Along with the announcement of North American tour dates for later this year and details of their long-awaited second album ‘II’, set for release on July 5th via Erased Tapes.
When Kiasmos started out in the late 2000s, little did they know that their part-time supergroup would go stratospheric. It was the sound of two old friends from neighbouring islands striking out against the stark piano and electropop music that they were individually celebrated for and effusively sharing their love of Berlin-inspired beats. But their pairing blew up into a world-dominating live act whose music went on to define the decade. So what does one of the most dynamic duos in electronic music do next, after all this time? There are clues in their new artwork: Kiasmos’s distinctive diamond motif, up in flames, so it can rise again from the ashes.
Kiasmos are returning, renewed and restored, with II. It’s the triumphant follow-up to their universally acclaimed self-titled debut in 2014, which re-envisioned minimal techno with orchestral flourishes and weightless production. They’d made most of that album in just two weeks; this time it’s been 10 years. The making of II was a test of their friendship, but also testament to how great musical chemistry can always go the distance and be just the same as it ever was. “In the beginning, we hadn’t established any sound, so it was easy to write,” says Janus.
Following the recently dropped EP Flown, their new single “Burst” is described as being “the moment when the whole album started coming together. A lot of work went into making this track what it is, making it an anchor for the rest of the album.”
Ólafur adds: “when we finally arrived at Burst it felt like a key to the puzzle of what a new Kiasmos could sound like.”
What do you think of “Burst”?
