Jenny Hval releases “The artist is absent,” the single/video is off her forthcoming album, Iris Silver Mist, available May 2nd via 4AD (The Smile). The Norwegian musician, artist and novelist also announces new September North American Tour.

Named after the fragrance made by the French perfume house Serge Lutens, Hval’s Iris Silver Mist also moves like a scent – between flower and smoke, ghostly yet alive. Iris Silver Mist started with the absence of music; as live music disappeared during the pandemic Hval filled the void with perfume. It was only later she understood why: she was searching for another way to sense presence, to fill the emptiness music had left behind.

“The artist is absent” encapsulates this feeling. Hval sings: “A stage without a show / A hazy silhouette around an empty space / A club without a club.” Today’s single comes in two versions— an extended mix entitled “89 seconds rewrite” and the original album version. Accompanying “The artist is absent (89 second rewrite)” are visuals directed by director Jenny Merger Myhre and featuring Hval and longtime collaborator Orfee Schuijt.

“We’re dancing to the tiktok
Of the doomsday clock” – Jenny Hval

When Hval eventually returned to making music, each song was infused with smells. Many songs were created as a mixtape. This continuous flow of ideas was performed as long, shapeshifting pieces – Iris Silver Mist in their unrecorded form – as part of interdisciplinary shows I want to be a Machine. There, Hval and her band were surrounded by rice cookers, filling the songs with the misty smell of rice. Emphasizing the importance of the physical and live elements of music, these songs hold the experience that was lacking in Hval’s life for so long.

Fans have the opportunity to hear the album early at three immersive Dolby Atmos Listening Experiences in New York, Los Angeles, and London. Taking place on April 29th and May 1st.

Jenny Hval 2025 Tour Dates

Sat. April 5 – Madrid, ES @ Electrónica en Abril
Wed. May 21- London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall *
Fri. May 23 – Brussels, BE @ Le Nuits Botanique
Tue. May 27 – Berlin, DE @ Silent Green (Betonhalle) *
Fri. May 30 – Amsterdam, NL @ Muziekgebouw
Thu. June 5 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret *
Sun. June 29 – Paris, FR @ Days Off Festival
Fri. Sept. 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
Sat. Sept. 6 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Mon. Sept. 8 – Portland, OR @ Polaris
Wed. Sept. 10 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Fri. Sept. 12 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
Mon. Sept. 15 – Toronto, ON @ Longboat Hall
Wed. Sept. 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Music Hall

* w/ Thea Grant

Pre-order Iris Silver Mist by Jenny Hval HERE