Anna von Hausswolff: ICONOCLASTS

For those expecting another solitary sonic edifice from Anna von Hausswolff, the new album ICONOCLASTS may have caught them off guard. The record is more collaborative, more compositionally direct, and more attuned to what can be called traditional song-crafting. On the instrumental front where von Hausswolff has consistently thrived, the organ remains a central force, but its dominance is moderated. Instead of towering over the mix, this time around coexists with drums, guitars, strings, synths, and a constellation of guest voices.

Among those, Iggy Pop, Ethel Cain, and Maria von Hausswolff, help the new album take its shape. This isn’t a pivot toward a more mainstream approach. ICONOCLASTS is still an artistically complex record. The melodies are more pronounced, an the tension between beauty and unease is deliberate.

Two pieces in particular, Aging Young Women and Struggle With The Beast, embody the record’s central duality, presenting the beautiful contrast between the sacred and the corporeal. The first unfolds slowly, built on organ and brass, with von Hausswolff’s solemn delivery gradually giving way to Ethel Cain’s more intimate warmth. It’s a moment of emotional convergence. Struggle With The Beast, in contrast, is kinetic and ritualistic, channeling ensemble energy into rhythmic ceremony. It’s where the album feels most alive in its collective motion.

The Whole Woman explores cinematic grandeur, with the contribution of Iggy Pop offering the album's more moving moment, while Unconditional Love, with it's plain title and dreamlike sound, returns to the monumental scale of her distinctive organ works, building toward a grand moment that sounds and feels magnificent in scope. These tracks build on the album's fundamental concept that sonic strength can be broken down and that collaboration can be as formidable as solitary elegance.

With ICONOCLASTS, von Hausswolff reimagines her compositional framework. The organ is no longer the lone protagonist, but part of a broader ensemble. Collaboration becomes a structural principle, and songcraft steps into the foreground. What comes out is a record that is still detailed and unnerving yet is now expressed through numerous voices, echoing through a common temple.

Over the years, Anna von Hausswolff has carved out a reputation as a singular and unpredictable force; an artist whose work resists easy categorization and continually evolves. ICONOCLASTS, her first album released through YEAR0001, marks another shift in her trajectory. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Filip Leyman, the record introduces a more dynamic and melodic sensibility to her emotionally charged compositions. While still rooted in the intensity and depth that define her sound, this new chapter leans into pop structures and ensemble interplay, expanding her palette without compromising its weight. 

The album's initial impressions are strong; the pull deepens with each return.

Anna von Hausswolff photos By Fredrik Bengtsson

 
Anna von Hausswolff and Ethel Cain photo By Philip Svensson


ZR