Ólöf Arnalds talks about her new album; listen exclusively on Best Fit

Palme also notable with a move beyond the sound she's become known for, with synthetic sounds carefully augmenting her songs, thanks in part to múm founder Gunnar Örn Tynes and long term collaborator Skúli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Blonde Redhead). “It took a lot of trust to let my collaborators so far into my musical expression and at times I found it a bit frightening”, she explains. “But now when I listen to the record, I feel that the music is no less on my terms than in my previous work. It feels more like out of nowhere, the record I´ve always dreamed of making has become a reality.”

Listen to the record in full below a week ahead of release, alongside Arnald's own thoughts on the tracks.

"Turtledove"

A song about having the love of someone who is equally passionate like yourself about music. I borrow the phrase "If music be the food of love" from a Purcell composition (to a poem by Heveningham, where he in turns uses the phrase from Shakespeare´s Twelfth Night) - which fits quite well with the antique chord structures.

"Defining Gender"

Defining Gender is a dance between the male and the female in all of us. I´m very happy with the composition of the song. My vocal was a one take, just after finishing the lyrics. Sometimes, on the rare occasion this happens.

"Hypnose"

Hypnose describes two-facedness when it comes to the matters of the heart. The synth bass on it was played by me on the guitar but transformed thru the computer into a synth by Gunnar Tynes. I thought it was magic! No wonder my son calls Gunnar "Gunni who changes the sounds".

"Palme"

Palme was written by Skúli and I together and it´s the title track of the record. I gave it the name as soon as I had decided the name of the record. That is before I wrote the lyrics.

Some parts of the lyric were written under the influence of a poem by my dear friend, novelist Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir called "Kaldur Sólargeisli" (Cold Ray of Sun). The piece was originally written for symphony orchestra and my voice, and we premiered it like this last spring at the Tectonics festival in Reykjavík.

"Patience"

"Patience" is Skúli´s tune. I liked it so much when he was playing it around the house and I really wanted to give it a voice so I begged him to make a version of it for my record. I´m happy he agreed, since it´s a track that seems to find it´s way to a lot of ears.

The vocal take was made after not sleeping for almost 48 hours, when I didn´t want to stop until I had the lyric that I was happy with. Strange how extreme stubbornness can sometimes bring the result you´re after!

"Half Steady"

I wrote "Half Steady" in my teens, and I´ve always come back to it as something I play on the piano sometimes. I´m intensely happy that I found a way to materialise this song, and it becoming such a mysterious track with the youthful essence of the lyrics, about being confused at a discotheque.

"Han Grete"

A sweet tune about a woman, who as a child was thought to be a boy. It´s beautiful to know who you are and which sex you are attracted to at such a young age. And accordingly (following the assumptions of her school friends), she´s never worn a skirt in her life!

"Soft Living"

"Soft Living", also co-written with Skúli, is about letting go of the demands one can put on one's spouse, finding peace within and enjoying the simple things in life together.

Palme is released on 29 September via One Little Indian. Arnalds plays shows throughout the UK this month and next with dates in Brighton (Komedia, 28 Sep), London (Oslo, 29 Sep), Bristol (Lousiana, 1 Oct), Manchester (Cornerstone, 2 Oct), Liverpool (Lead, 3 Oct), York (Fibbers, 4 Oct) and Glasgow (Mon, 5 Oct).