Anna Von Hausswolff is always evolving. Her new album, boldly named Iconoclasts, out now via YEAR001, shows her taking her music in a new direction. The new album is vibrant and poppier than previous albums, toning down some of the heavier aspects of her sound. In addition, it features collaborations with several performers that she considers iconoclasts: Iggy Pop, Ethel Cain, Abul Mogard, and Maria Von Hausswolff. But being an iconoclast is just part of who she is as a musician.
“I think it’s a part of who I am,” Von Hausswolff concurs. “I’ve always felt a need to touch ground I haven’t stepped on before. It’s a way to keep the curiosity and creativity alive. It doesn’t need to be big changes, just big enough to spark something in me. For this album, I definitely found a new energy to work with, both vocally through lyrics and emotional intention, and also instrumentally through the use of strings and woodwind. I arranged a lot myself which was an important part of the process.”
The album’s conception and gestation took place over the course of many years, with many different personal and world events shaping its themes and motifs. “This album was written during a seven-year period, so there’s not one singular incident that has informed the album’s theme; it was rather the sum of them. When I wrapped it up, I was thinking about what situations had affected me the most in the writing process. For example, the cancellation of my organ concerts in France in 2021 by Catholic fundamentalists—very heart shattering,” Von Hausswolff says.
“Then we had the pandemic which brought isolation but also a slower tempo that felt new and uncommon to me. The pandemic also showed us how fast we can shift things around if we have to. The water and air got clearer; it brought hope for a second. That hope was clouded by inflation and poverty, plus an explosion of conspiracies and misinformation, as well as the rise of right-wing movements and eco-fascism. Just today, I read that earth has reached its first climate tipping point. All of these things combined with personal problems and situations have informed the album altogether, directly or indirectly.”
Critically, instead of using all this inspiration to write a dark, downbeat album, Von Hausswolff used its creation as a way to exorcise demons and send a hard-won positive message into the world. “I wrote this music to break away from negative thinking spirals, anxiety, and a sense of isolation. I wrote this album as a way of breaking free from myself, my anxiety. I wanted it to feel big, empowering, and encouraging,” she says.
This ties into her own definition of the word “iconoclast” and how it fits into the themes expressed on the album. “I’ve been thinking about the word as a metaphor but also its literal meaning. In France in 2021, I somehow ended up an iconoclast simply by wanting to play the pipe organ whilst also being an artist who writes words and lyrics very freely. I came to that point of my career where I needed to express myself and my intentions more thoroughly, in order to avoid misconceptions of who I am and what I want. I decided that an iconoclast isn’t necessarily someone who wants to destroy what’s considered sacred, but maybe just someone who approaches things differently, and by doing so also changes the perspective.
“I don’t think an iconoclast is a provocateur, but rather a thinker with true intentions. An iconoclast is an inspirational figure for change, who stands in opposition to the established. For this album, I’ve been inspired by many people and figures I consider to be iconoclasts; they are both on and not on the album, but this is a tribute to them,” she says.
Once she had a theme for the album, she then needed collaborators that fit into that theme. She chose the artists that appear on the album with her based on how well they connected with its theme. They were also artists that inspired her during the making of the album. “They are all iconoclasts in my eyes. They challenge the system simply just by making art and being who they are. Abul Mogard is an iconoclast through his music which is unconventional in the commercial music world. Ethel is an unconventional figure in pop music through her persona, sonic world and lyrics. Iggy revolutionized rock music by being a fearless performer, and my sister is an iconoclast who makes art without having spotlights on her. She doesn’t care about other people’s approval; her intention is pure and meaningful; she’s a badass,” she says.
Getting Iggy on board was relatively easy. Though, it took a few years to figure out what she actually wanted to do with him. “I met Iggy at Way Out West in 2018, and shortly after that I asked him if he wanted to make something together. He said yes immediately, and then it took me maybe five years to figure out what I wanted to do. Once I sent him the song (“The Whole Woman”) it took him maybe one week for him to send back his amazing vocal track,” she says.
“I contacted Ethel via Instagram and asked her if she wanted to sing “Aging Young Women” with me; I already had the demo, so that went quickly. I had been going through a rough period whilst writing some of the songs for Iconoclasts, and Ethel’s music was filling my ears during this time. It was such a healing experience to listen to her music while writing music, and the emotional impact she had on me leaked out into a song. It wouldn’t had felt right not to ask her; this was her song. I’m so grateful she said yes,” she effuses.
But these were not the only collaborators she has on the album. Not only does the new album feature a brighter, poppier sound, it also features the saxophone work of Otis Sandsjö. She first started working with him on another project, but then soon realized that he would be a perfect fit for her new album. “In 2020 I got a commission from the royal theatre in Stockholm to write music for Maxim Gorky´s play “The Lower Depths” with János Szász as director. I started writing for woodwind and I asked Sandsjö if he wanted to be the sole player of all of the harmonies. We started working together and he just opened up the world of woodwind to me,” she says.
This new world led to Sandsjö being another key collaborator on the album. “He was so brilliant and easy to work with; he put in his own ideas and basically elevated the pieces I had written. In this process he also started throwing in new pieces he had written and said that I could use them if I wanted, one of these pieces was ‘The Beast.’ It became a starting point for all of the woodwind work that eventually ended up on Iconoclasts. It later developed into ‘Struggle with the Beast.’”
Von Hausswolff’s drive to create in the here and now and make the music she wants to make is based on the singularly primal notion that “life is not eternal and that I need to make the most of it while being here on earth.”
Iconoclasts is out now, and you can order your copy from Year001. Follow Anna Von Hausswolff on Instagram for future updates.
