We’ve been waiting since 2018’s Dead Magic for Anna von Hausswolff to grace us with new vocal music. On that album’s “The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra,” her howl of “who’s she?” cut across the pipe-organ storm with a venom that matched its grotesque cover art.
“Facing Atlas,” the third single from her upcoming Iconoclasts, continues her tradition of unsettling visuals (a child with her eyes obscured by seashells.) But here the image feels less like a mission statement than a counterweight to the song’s majestic soar. It’s as if she’s saying, “yes, this climbs toward heights only Bono dares, but don’t worry, I’m still a freak underneath.”
Hausswolff has shown menace and energy when she sings, and serenity in her instrumental work. But she has never before used her voice to summon a legion of angels bursting through a storm.
Notes: Song review • 2025 release
Credits: Artwork by Lotta Antonsson, photo by Evalena von Hausswolff
Tags: Anna von Hausswolff, Facing Atlas, Song Review, 2025, Art Rock, Iconoclasts
