Photo: Sunna Ben
Iceland’s Ólafur Arnalds and Sweden’s Loreen join forces for a thrilling new collaborative project SAGES. The alternative pop duo debut double single In the Sound of Breathing / Opening which are both set to appear with a third track on the full SAGES EP on March 21.
In the Sound of Breathing is written by Klara Elias, Loreen, Sandrayati and Ólafur Arnalds, whilst the expansive seven minute Opening sees Loreen and Ólafur collaborate with Max Porter and Sandrayati. There is an ethereal minimalist charm to both emotional tracks, which shimmer with a cinematic flair and showcases Loreen’s versatility after her dance flavoured previous singles such as Forever, Warning Signs and Gravity.
The artistic mastery of Sages comes further to life with an accompanying Thora Hilmars directed short film which is inspired by the famous dancing plague in Strasbourg in the early 17th century.
Loreen shared: “I’m so excited to finally share ‘In The Sound of Breathing’ / ‘Opening’ with everyone—this project has been such a beautiful, transformative journey. Working with Ólafur has felt like discovering a musical kindred spirits; from the very first session, everything flowed so naturally, like we were completing each other’s sentences through sound. Every detail, every frequency, every moment in this music has been crafted with deep intention. I hope that when people listen, they allow themselves to fully immerse in it, to feel the energy in the soundscapes, and to take whatever they need from it.”
Ólafur notes: “I’m so proud of these songs that Loreen and I poured our hearts and souls into. We started with a completely blank slate, as strangers, and without even having to talk about the direction we wanted to go, off we went. We could just feel it. The songs we made started forming a journey ending in a wild creative catharsis, the kind of freedom that feels like rebellion.”
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