Mother Melancholia is the fourth solo studio album released by Icelandic singer-songwriter Sóley released in 2021. The album was "inspired by the mass suicide of mankind and destruction of life led by capitalism and toxic masculinity". The Reykjavík Grapevine described it as "a eulogy for the planet and humankind".
Background The album was planned for release much earlier but this was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mother Melancholia was Sóley's first album to be released independently, after her first three albums were released through Morr Music. After completing her record deal, she felt that she now had "a new sense of freedom" and felt freed "from the pressure of the music industry".
For this album, Sóley bought a cello, theremin and mellotron and experimented with these instruments. Playing other instruments rather than the familiar piano allowed her to "be free from the complex classical background". Sóley described the album as "Nosferatu meets Thelma and Louise in a vampire church under the watchful eye of David Lynch".
Eco-feminism was a large influence on the album. Sóley stated that the album was conceptualised as representing "the end of the world", with feminism and the environmental impact of humans on the planet becoming part of the album's themes.
The album's opening song and lead single "Sunrise Skulls" was inspired by the #MeToo and SlutWalk movements. The song tells a story of a group of women who rise up and fight the patriarchy. "Blows Up" is a "sarcastic love letter from the Earth to humans". The song "Desert" is dedicated to the next generation and is about the guilt Sóley felt leaving her daughter to "take over this inevitable war". "Sundown" is a "dark piano ballad" which details "humankind's final day on earth". The penultimate track "xxx" has a "dark and swirling soundscape that swells before fading to silence". The final track "Elegia" sees the silence "[turn] to the sound of the ocean", and the Earth "[heals] on her own" like "a woman finally free from a violent relationship".
The album cover is a photo of Sóley that was drawn over and edited by her husband Héðinn Finnsson (also known as Íbbagoggur). The cover art is meant to represent mother earth, who is "tired and angry".
The album's title is a "homage" to the films Mother! (2017) and Melancholia (2011).
Reception The Reykjavík Grapevine named Mother Melancholia as joint "Album of the Year" of 2021 with Eilífur snjór í augunum by kef LAVÍK. The magazine described the album as "a dark, deep exploration into the feeling of the end of the world, imminent death and destruction, as well as the complexity of a feminist riot surging within the heart of a woman". The magazine also felt that the album showed the "incredible depth within Sóley as a musician".
Awards and nominations Year Organisation Category Work Result Ref. 2021 Icelandic Music Awards Open Class – Album Mother Melancholia Select "Verðlaun" and year "2021" Open Class – Song "Sunrise Skulls" Select "Tilnefningar" and year "2021" The Reykjavík Grapevine Album of the Year Mother Melancholia 2022 Nordic Council Nordic Council Music Prize
Track listing
Personnel Credits taken from the album's Bandcamp page and the CD booklet. Sóley Stefánsdóttir – Music, words, production, arrangements ("Desert", "Circles" and "Sundown") Íbbagoggur (Héðinn Finnsson) – Art direction, additional production, album artwork and design Albert Finnbogason – Additional production, final mix Sarah Register – Mastering Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir – String arrangement ("Sunrise Skulls"), arrangements ("Desert", "Circles" and "Sundown"), orchestrations Jón Óskar Jónsson – Drums Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir – String Quintet (Viola) Sigrún Kristbjörg Jónsdóttir – String Quintet (Violin) Guðbjörg Hlín Guðmundsdóttir – String Quintet (Violin) Alexandra Kjeld – String Quintet (Double Bass) Þórdís Gerður Jónsdóttir – String Quintet (Cello) Sunna Ben - Photography
Mother Melancholia tour Sóley embarked on a tour in support of the album in November 2021. Date City Country Venue 1 November 2021 Göteborg Sweden Kulturhuset Oceanen 2 November 2021 KøbenhavnDenmark Hotel Cecil 3 November 2021 Århus Musikhuset Aarhus 5 November 2021 HamburgGermany Kulturkirche Altona 6 November 2021 Berlin Passionskirche Kreuzberg 7 November 2021 Erlangen E-Werk Kulturzentrum 8 November 2021 Freiburg Im Breisgau Jazzhaus Freiburg 9 November 2021 München Technikum 11 November 2021 Mannheim Alte Feuerwache 12 November 2021 Amsterdam Netherlands Paradiso 14 November 2021 Brussels Belgium Le Botanique 15 November 2021 Paris France Point Ephemere 16 November 2021 LondonUnited Kingdom Colours Hoxton 18 November 2021 Brighton Patterns 19 November 2021 Bristol Beacon Foyer 20 November 2021 Leeds Belgrave Music Hall 21 November 2021 Glasgow Centre for Contemporary Arts
Release history +Release dateFormatLabelID No.Ref.22 October 2021 Digital download/Streaming Sóley (Independently released) LP ("Library Red" vinyl) Lovitt Records LOV94 June 2022 CD SMIT
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