Lizzo Wants To Play Flute For Björk

Björk dropped her new single Atopos yesterday to widespread acclaim. 

You can count Lizzo as one of many fans of the new 'biological techno' offering from the Icelandic icon with the Truth Hurts and About Damn Time hitmaker tweeting that "I wanna play flute for @bjork sooooo bad"

I wanna play flute for @bjork sooooo bad 😫

— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) September 6, 2022

Lizzo's tweet isn't as random as it might seem, with the musician having studied classical flute at the University of Houston and spoken of a desire to have a career similar to Björk's previously. Speaking with Billboard in 2019, Lizzo revealed her fandom of Björk, ‘Man, I want to have a career like Björk, where I can put out albums and do exclusive shows and do a whole flute album like that bitch did", which make the two teaming up in some manner seem quite conceivable. 

The first single from her forthcoming full-length Fossora, 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 arrives 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.