Jenny Hval Releases New One-Off Single ‘Buffy’
Today, Jenny Hval unveils the enchanting new single, ‘Buffy’. ‘Buffy’ began with Hval improvising on the synth, and the resulting chords express a hopeful loneliness, woven from a repetitive pattern. “Somehow I improvised some lyrics that referred to Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” says Hval, “probably just because I have watched it many times. I do like the idea that a TV series with many episodes, like Buffy, can be used as a creative and political rehearsal. An episodic form rehearsing overthrowing a dictatorship, a plutocracy, or theocracy?”
Hval continues, “Buffy is not a song about a slayer, a superhero, or feminist icon. If anything, it’s a song about hope, but in an understated and episodic way. Because to me, hope is more hopeful when it is presented in a subtle way.”
Check out ‘Buffy’ HERE or via the player below.
Official Audio
Jenny Hval’s new album Classic Objects, released earlier this year on 4AD, “is Hval at her most approachable, with upbeat tunes and consonant sounds, both acoustic and electronic.” (The New York Times). Surrounding its release, the album received glowing reviews, which extended through the year to “Best of 2022 (So Far)” praise from Pitchfork, Stereogum, The Guardian, Uncut, and more.
Last week, Hval presented a beautiful live video of herself performing two standouts from Classic Objects, ‘Cemetery of Splendour’ and ‘Classic Objects’. The filmed session, recorded intimately at the Flerbruket studio an hour outside of Oslo, offers a glimpse into the magic of Hval’s uncanny, spellbinding world, merging the unreal with the mundane. Watch the session in full HERE. It offers a glimpse into what audiences can expect from her current European tour, which extends through the end of the month.
18 November – BASEL, SWITZERLAND, reading & conversation, Buchbasel
19 November – BASEL, SWITZERLAND, Kaserne
20 November – BERN, SWITZERLAND, Saint Ghetto Festival
22 November – ESPINHO, PORTUGAL, Auditório de Espinho
23 November – LISBON, PORTUGAL, Culturgest
24 November – BRAGA, PORTUGAL, Gnration
Classic Objects is out now
“Remarkable.” – The Sunday Times, Album of the Week ****
“Hval’s music is blissfully but unobtrusively diverse.” — The New York Times
“Delightfully weird.” – The Independent ****
“RIYL: Female genius in pop music, subtly epic songwriting.”
— Pitchfork, The 39 Best Albums of 2022: Our Favorite Music of the Year So Far
“Classic Objects is [Jenny Hval’s] poppiest, most accessible album yet and also her most personal.”
— The AV Club, The 25 Best Albums of 2022 (So Far)
“Under Hval’s microscope, the seemingly straightforward is anything but.” – MOJO ****
“Unceasingly intriguing.” – The Observer ****
“Dazzling pop triumph.” – The Quietus
“Catchy vignettes coloured with both optimism and melancholy.” – The Wire
Watch the official videos for previous Classic Objects singles ‘Jupiter’, ‘Year of Love’ and ‘Freedom’ HERE
