POSTPONED: Ásgeir, Khushi

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Anna Maggý

Ásgeir

On his newest album, the Icelandic singer-songwriter creates yet another record of note. All over Bury the Moon, tracks like lead single “Youth” weave together a diverse range of instruments — triumphant horns, drummer boy-esque snare, acoustic guitar — under the banner of his stirring and resplendent vocals. With Khushi.

press release: At the direction of state and local government, and in an abundance of caution we are working to reschedule/postpone all events through March 31 at The Sylvee, The Orpheum Theater, Majestic Theatre and High Noon Saloon. Sylvee box office hours will also be closed during this time. 

Further updates on rescheduled dates and cancellations are forthcoming. Patrons who purchased tickets during this time frame will be notified by email with additional information. Updates can also be found on the respective venue social media channels.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we do our part to keep Madison healthy, and we look forward to seeing you in our venues again very soon.

Ásgeir shares another cut from his forthcoming new album Bury The Moon – new track “Pictures” arrives with an accompanying video, for which the artist immersed himself in nature in his home country, in a bid to reflect the inspiration of the track. The video illustrates the artist’s connection to his country, its roots and its music – whilst at the same time, it is a representation of inner reflection. Inspired by the Icelandic landscape and traditional Icelandic folk music, Asgeir locked himself away in a summerhouse deep in the countryside to write the new album. Revisiting his acoustic beginnings and taking things back to basics, he conjured up “Pictures,” the next single to be released from the highly anticipated album.

Talking about the new track, the introvert artist said: “The lyrics paint pictures of daily life, from when we wake up and go to work and how our dreams come alive in the nighttime. It also depicts the importance of not thinking more of your country than other countries / or yourself over other people, and the importance of unity between people.”

The enigmatic artist makes music that penetrates a little deeper than most. His debut album soared to success in his native land, before English language edition In The Silence connected with an entirely new audience. An artist of rare scope, sincerity, and emotion, his next step might well be his bravest, and his most enduring.  

The story of Bury The Moon – or Sátt, to give the record its Icelandic title – begins with heartbreak and escape. Ásgeir watched a long-term relationship disintegrate, and decided that he needed to get away, to lose himself in the endless Icelandic countryside. Retreating to a summerhouse – a tiny rural home used by those on the island – he spent the winter writing, just him, his guitar, and those endless reflections on love and loss.  

At times, Bury The Moon is a bruising, achingly personal experience, with shades of the endless isolation Ásgeir put himself through in that remote summerhouse. “I took my guitar, a small keyboard, and a very simple recording set up,” he recalls. “And that was it.”  

Days, weeks went past, with close friends dropping by to hand over food parcels, and words of encouragement. “I’ve always had this longing to go somewhere on my own,” he says. “I think it was really good to go there and just think about music and have no distractions whatsoever. I went out running in the morning and then I wrote all day”.  

Unfurling his new ideas in the studio, he started to gather like-minds, fellow travelers, and guest lyricists to work on his music. Indeed, that’s the way he’s always worked – Ásgeir sculpts the melodies, the arrangements, while the words form this counterbalance, penned by other figures.  

Einar Georg Einarsson wrote many of the lyrics for Ásgeir’s extraordinary debut, and this partnership has only strengthened and deepened their father-son relationship. “I think the lyrical side of the album is, at times, a bit more personal for me now, because my Dad and I did it together. We spent a lot of time together”.  

In accepting his own imperfections, Ásgeir may well have produced his most remarkable work yet. American songwriter and Reykjavik resident John Grant assisted on translating the lyrics to English, but the voice could only belong to one person. It’s the same voice that drove debut album In The Silence to such astonishing heights. Not that this success phases Ásgeir – his concentration is solely on the craft, on the art, and on his fans.  

“I’m looking forward to seeing the reactions, and how it sits with people,” he says. “I wanted to take the project back to its roots, in a way, and make it more about honesty: honest songs with strong melodies and lyrics.”

“Khushi is defining his own evocative sound as a solo artist... he leans into reverberating echoes, delicate falsettos and hums, building tension to cinematic release. But the lyrics are intimate, delivered in a kind of confidential whisper.” —TIME

“'Strange Seasons' is…quietly unveiling personal truths, or considering why they stay covered.”—NPR’s All Things Considered

Strange Seasons, the debut album from rising London vocalist, songwriter and producer Khushi, is out on Warner Records

“'Strange Seasons' was recorded in a shed in London over the course of about six years,” says Khushi. “Some of the songs have been with me longer than that and each of them have been through many guises before finding what I felt was their final form on this album. I tried to find the most direct way to present the songs, with the arrangements building up when they needed to, but being at their most simple and stripped down elsewhere. I spent many long nights and days in the shed—it was a long, but eventually deeply rewarding and emotional process. Towards the end of that process, James Blake, who had heard and fallen in love with the album, offered to mix it. We mixed it together in his home studio, which was a very inspiring experience and continued the personal touch that contributes to the sound of the album. We tried to elevate the sonic quality whilst leaving as much natural imperfection and humanity in there as we could. This album is my entire heart and soul. It is the end of a very long journey and the start of a new one. I hope you enjoy it.”

James Blake and Khushi’s studio collaboration led to Blake asking Khushi to contribute to his acclaimed album Assume Form, and to join him on his recent North American and U.K. tours as support.

When speaking on the new visual for "Coldhearted Lately," Khushi shared, "This video represents the different possible selves that compete within us, which the song is also about. Warm, harsh, arrogant, shy, selfish, kind, calm, exuberant (for example), parts of ourselves that jostle for position. I played all the parts on the record so it fits in that way too. A visual representation of someone making music on their own and playing in all the parts. I also saved money 'cause I only had to hire myself to perform in the video. Plus I managed to satisfy my narcissistic urges at the same time. Perfect."