Icelandic pop artist Hildur draws on the power of iconic female role models with her forthcoming single, ‘Work’, and her new EP, ‘Intuition’, both out today, June 28 through Anti Fragile Music.
Comprising five tracks, including the pre-released ‘Picture Perfect’, ‘Woman At War’, and ‘1993’, ‘Intuition’ is very much a strong woman’s album. She covers a wide variety of musical styles, within the loose frame of “pop”; new single ‘Work’ possibly comes closer to RnB than any other genre, with a hooky chorus and empowering verses, channelling the likes of Miley Cyrus and Zara Larsson, couched in sultry rhythms which had this reviewer bopping away from the first note.
Opening with ‘Picture Perfect’, Hildur pays homage to compatriots Björk and HafdÃs Huld, with the song flitting about like a butterfly, landing on notes high and low, and a refrain which will remain locked solidly on repeat in your brain for quite some time after. Second track, ‘Everyday’, with its autotuning, is quite quirky and no less appealing; it’s upbeat and pure Scandi pop, reminiscent of Zara Larsson and Be The Bear, and is guaranteed to keep you caught onto the rest of the record. ‘1993’ was our first exposure to Hildur, and her light, almost Celtic stylings on this song were almost solely responsible for this writer booking a holiday in Iceland (we’re going in August). The song is nostalgic, and one we can all relate to – who hasn’t wished they could go back to their younger self and give them advice, and let them know it’s all going to be alright?
Track 4, ‘Woman At War’, sees Hildur summoning the influence of Kate Bush, in a very stirring, and indeed, empowering battle cry for sexual equality. It’s hard to choose a favourite track on the ‘Intuition’ EP, but if pushed to decide, this would probably be the one (with ‘Picture Perfect’ a close second); there’s something about ‘Woman At War’ which speaks to my soul, beyond the lyrics. It’s clear Hildur has enjoyed recording this track immensely.
Final song on the EP, ‘Work’, also out today, is a sexy, no holds barred track with a beat which calls to mind the opening bars of the Michael Jackson classic, ‘Billie Jean’. Indeed, Hildur’s voice on this track bears some similarity to Janet Jackson, and even Diana Ross; as we mentioned earlier, it comes close to being an RnB song, and it’s catchy, oh so catchy.
‘Intuition’ is out today on Anti Fragile Music. Find Hildur online on her official website, Facebook, and Instagram. Stream and download ‘Intuition’ on iTunes and Apple Music, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
https://soundcloud.com/hihildur/work-1/s-kwnYo?in=hihildur/sets/intuition/s-Tx6wn
