Few artists embody the surrealness of neoclassical darkwave like Anna von Hausswolff. For more than ten years, the Swedish artist has been blending neoclassical darkwave with maximalism and drone. Dead Magic is a staple in the genre, an album that shines like a fine piece of art amongst the plethora of darkwave releases. Five years after 2020’s ambient/drone experiment All Thoughts Fly, von Hausswolff is back with ICONOCLASTS.

On ICONOCLASTS, one can say that von Hausswolff has gone pop. Pop, in the sense that this album is “more traditional” than her previous works. However, von Hausswolff’s signature sound is never diluted. Produced alongside longtime collaborator Filip Leyman, ICONOCLASTS channels her usual sense of ritualistic grandeur into something more anthemic and immediate. The opener, The Beast, is an instrumental blend of strings and sax, and is as haunting as neoclassical darkwave gets. Meanwhile, Facing Atlas is a maximalist/baroque display of von Hausswolff’s voice over some organs.

ICONOCLASTS has a wide array of guests, ranging from all-timers like Iggy Pop to Ethel Cain and even von Hausswolff’s sister Maria. The Iggy Pop-assisted The Whole Woman utilizes the contrast between von Hausswolff’s high-pitched vocals and Iggy’s deep voice. The track is a breath of fresh air, placed right between the self-titled track and The Mouth, both of which are absolute juggernauts. The former is especially a journey through different styles, starting out with drone metal and venturing into organs, as well as a saxophone break in between. On the single Aging Young Women, Ethel Cain and von Hausswolff have
immense chemistry between them as they get vulnerable and delve deeper into the feeling of getting older.

As to be expected with an Anna von Hausswolff album, ICONOCLASTS is mystical and spiritual. At its core, the album wrestles with what it means to endure and find purpose when everything feels uncertain. Von Hausswolff channels moments of doubt and questions spiritual and societal beliefs on the album. On Stardust, she disputes, “Oh, sweet mother / How can you be so pure and divine / When you're beaten”. The track is eerie and has tinges of dance, almost sounding like Swans’ Volcano with the way it mixes gothic with electronic transcendence.

Otis Sandsjö’s saxophone is shimmered throughout ICONOCLASTS. Consensual Neglect is a five-minute showcase of the addition of a saxophone to von Hausswolff’s ensemble. It is the perfect transition from Young Aging Women to the nine-minute behemoth that is Struggle With the Beast. The latter begins with a high-tempo sax melody that explodes into an amalgamation of organ, drums, bass, and drone before von Hausswolff’s ethereal voice takes the center stage. It is the most impressive track on an already extremely impressive album, with its chaotic jazz-rock reminiscent of prog rock and krautrock.

The final stretch of ICONOCLASTS is just as immersive as everything that precedes it. An Ocean of Time, a mostly instrumental piece featuring Abul Mogard, swells with meditative grandeur, while Unconditional Love, featuring her sister Maria von Hausswolff, unfolds as a devastatingly beautiful hymn to familial connection and shared memory. Closing with “Rising Legends,” an instrumental that gathers the album’s emotional threads into one final ascension, von Hausswolff perfectly ends the project as she leaves listeners utterly spellbound.

On ICONOCLASTS, the Swedish artist reaffirms her place as one of the most daring visionaries in modern experimental music. Balancing divine chaos with human vulnerability, Anna von Hausswolff delivers a monumental work that feels both otherworldly and deeply alive.

Order ICONOCLASTS by Anna von Hausswolff HERE