Cigarette smoke acts as a poignant reminder for Jenny Hval, akin to Proust’s famous madeleine. The rich, earthy scent permeates the Norwegian artist’s ninth album, stirring recollections of her childhood and cherished pets while reflecting on past performances. In the enthralling lead single “To Be a Rose,” enhanced by robust drum machine beats and jazzy brass accents, hval muses: “That symbolizes every cigarette my mother ever lit.”

A Surreal Journey Through Memory

The album “Iris silver Mist,” inspired by an enchanting fragrance crafted by french perfumer Maurice Roucel, is steeped in surrealism with dreamlike soundscapes that envelop listeners.

Amid the pandemic-induced pause on live music events, Hval developed a fascination with how scents—much like melodies—can trigger vivid memories or resurrect long-buried moments from our past.

In her track “I Attempt to Start at the Beginning,” she paints a scene set in a fast-food restaurant parking lot before transitioning into ethereal synth sounds accompanied by indistinct voices and an underlying drone that echoes urban life from afar.