Ásgeir’s approach to lyrics has changed. Upon announcing his fifth studio album ‘Julia’, due February 2026, he also announced that this album contains his first lyrics. Previously, he had translated poetry from his father, Einar Georg Einarsson. The Icelandic singer-songwriter returns with his new single, ‘Ferris Wheel,’ to show those lyrics off. It’s a mid-tempo folk-pop track that has a country Americana twang to it in places. This is a marked shift in tone, as the songs were all written on guitar first, as they were written during a time when Ásgeir had been touring solo. He cites influences such as Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake, through to contemporary artists like Adrianne Lenker and Gregory Alan Isokov.
With the Americana shift, Ásgeir says that ‘Ferris Wheel’, and by extension the forthcoming album ‘Julia’, is about what happens when you abandon your dreams and comforts to try something new. In the single ‘Ferris Wheel’, it’s about looking forward to the quieter life on the way back down again. Speaking of the track, Ásgeir says:
“It’s a song about wanting to change things up. Make your dreams come true. Wanting to move to a place by the water, doing the things we’ve been putting on hold. I feel like I haven’t been allowing myself to dream about the future for a long time, just been stuck in the same old ways. So it’s good to be able to dream again.”
Delightfully, the shift towards Americana doesn’t dampen Ásgeir’s signature falsetto, which continues to captivate and swoon in equal measure. I am adamant that his voice could comfort the most distressed baby. Between the guitars, cellos, and brushed percussion, I’m sure we’re in for another treat.
‘Ferris Wheel’ is out now. For more information about Ásgeir, including his European tour with the excellent Eivør across the next few months, visit Ásgeir’s website.
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