After abandoning black metal for Nordic folk on 2020’s Folkesange, Mykur made another left turn in 2023 with Spine, embracing grandiose, alt pop sensibilities – with the odd blastbeat, of course. “Someone said to me it sounded like ‘if Enya caught fire’, and I can’t stop thinking about that,” she says with a chuckle, speaking to Hammer days after debuting her new material live at London’s Rough Trade East.
Ever since the black metal experimentation of her debut, M, in 2015, Myrkur – real name Amalie Bruun – has pushed stylistic boundaries, and admits Spine was a reaction to the minimalism of Folkesange. “I needed amplification!” she exclaims. “For the longest time, I didn’t even want to pick up an instrument. It’s something I’ve experienced to some extent on every record. Not quite writer’s block, I just wasn’t thinking creatively.”
