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JFDR - Spectator
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JFDR – the project of Icelandic experimental singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Jófríður Ákadóttir – announces Museum, her new album and debut for us here at Houndstooth, out April 28th. JFDR says Museum is “an album about clearing and healing; like breathing fresh strong air through your old self.” Inspired by the discovery of ideas lost to time after a period of creative stasis, its nine songs capture fleeting moments into a timeless monument. On this haunting lead single “Spectator,” Ákadóttir’s voice is a glowing aura in a mist of glittering guitar and delicate instrumentation. “I am the spectator, I am the middle man,” she intones in a half-whisper before later asking, “How can I help you if I always get it wrong?”
“‘Spectator’ is an anthem for the codependent, a lullaby for the ones slightly codependent and for those who have never felt it; a mirror into the raw thought process of someone deep in the trenches of it,” JFDR says. “The video was made with my good friend Timothee Lambrecq, and the unmissable support from my husband Josh Wilkinson and old bandmate Áslaug Magnúsdóttir. The clouds represent thoughts, and getting swallowed by a big cloud is symbolic of the thoughts that can overtake you, when you lose your ground. I also wanted to reference the album and its artwork that centers around a statue, representing energy frozen in time. I truly hope this song makes someone feel seen. It can take a long time to learn to navigate big emotions, whether they’re your own or others’. I was feeling it at the time.”
Watch JFDR’s “Spectator” Video
Following the release of JFDR’s acclaimed 2020 album New Dreams, Ákadóttir found herself in an existential crisis about her own work. She only began to re-emerge in late 2021 upon delving into demos dating as far back as 2018 while purging old computer files. "I found a moment where something was happening," she says, referencing moments in early 2022 when her partner encouraged her to follow buried creative impulses. Shortly after they took to New York, the birthplace of JFDR’s earlier records, tracking Museum in real time alongside Shahzad Ismaily at Figure 8 Studios. "I knew I had to write without overthinking anything, and work on it intensely." By the end of February, Museum was complete.
“‘Spectator’ is an anthem for the codependent, a lullaby for the ones slightly codependent and for those who have never felt it; a mirror into the raw thought process of someone deep in the trenches of it,” JFDR says. “The video was made with my good friend Timothee Lambrecq, and the unmissable support from my husband Josh Wilkinson and old bandmate Áslaug Magnúsdóttir. The clouds represent thoughts, and getting swallowed by a big cloud is symbolic of the thoughts that can overtake you, when you lose your ground. I also wanted to reference the album and its artwork that centers around a statue, representing energy frozen in time. I truly hope this song makes someone feel seen. It can take a long time to learn to navigate big emotions, whether they’re your own or others’. I was feeling it at the time.”
Watch JFDR’s “Spectator” Video
Following the release of JFDR’s acclaimed 2020 album New Dreams, Ákadóttir found herself in an existential crisis about her own work. She only began to re-emerge in late 2021 upon delving into demos dating as far back as 2018 while purging old computer files. "I found a moment where something was happening," she says, referencing moments in early 2022 when her partner encouraged her to follow buried creative impulses. Shortly after they took to New York, the birthplace of JFDR’s earlier records, tracking Museum in real time alongside Shahzad Ismaily at Figure 8 Studios. "I knew I had to write without overthinking anything, and work on it intensely." By the end of February, Museum was complete.
