Björk Shares Extravagant Video For New Single 'Ovule'

Björk has released a new single Ovule. The second single to be unearthed from the Icelandic icons' forthcoming full-length Fossora, Ovule arrives accompanied by a striking Nick Knight-directed video, which sees Björk dressed in extravagant frocks. 

Sonically Ovule is an unorthodox ballad that offers another look at the 'biological techno' soundscapes that Björk envisioned for Fossora, teaming her oddball vocal delivery and patterns with a subtle low-fi beat and additional minimalist instrumentation for the majority of its running time.  

Björk released a statement explaining that Ovule is a love-themed song "ovule for me is my definition of love, it is a meditation about us as lovers walking around this world, and I imagine 2 spheres or satellites following us around, one above us that represents ideal love, one below us representing the shadows of love, and we ourselves walk around in the third sphere of real love , where the everyday Monday-morning meet-in-the-kitchen-love lives in"

Ovule follows our first taste of Fossora, Atopos which arrived last week.  Atopos blends Björk's Avante-Garde stylings with elements of dark, almost apocalyptic dance. It is a distinct step away from the soundscapes of her previous album 2017's Utopia.  

Atopos arrived accompanied by a Viðar Logi-directed clip, which is set in a spectacular mushroom forest. In the video, Björk is surrounded by a bass clarinet section and Indonesian group Gabber Modus Operandi’s DJ Kasimyn, as they face off for what appears to be some form of ritualistic rave-off. The odd blend of naturistic and futuristic visuals and the unexpected blend of soundscapes make some sense of Björk's description of Atopos as "biological techno".

Lyrically the track finds Björk as cryptic as ever, featuring lines like "Pursuing the light too hard is a form of hiding,” and “Our union is stronger than us / Hope is a muscle,”, while vocally,  Björk still sounds like no other artist on earth

Due for release on September 30, Fossora was partly inspired by the pandemic experience and lockdown raves.  Björk made up the title, creating the feminine of “fossore,” which means “digger, delver, ditcher." Pre-orders for the album are available now.