Iggy Pop and Ethel Cain Join Forces with Anna von Hausswolff on the Monumental Iconoclasts
Battle Cry of an Iconoclast
The Organ Grinder's Rock Opera: Anna von Hausswolff Builds a Maximalist Temple With Iconoclasts
Anna von Hausswolff has always occupied a sacred, shadowy space in modern music, but with Iconoclasts, she has built a full-fledged temple. t’s a sprawling, 72-minute cathedral of sound, where her signature pipe organ is no longer just a backdrop but the foundation for an experimental rock opera. She steps away from the purely ambient drone of previous work to deliver soaring melodies and crushing anthemic movements, resulting in a sound that feels both ancient and apocalyptic. The production, handled with longtime collaborator Filip Leyman, is maximalist, creating a sonic density that is exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure—a necessary reflection of the album's core themes of anxiety, systemic collapse, and the search for spiritual autonomy.
What truly defines this album as a "break-up with language," to borrow one of her own lyrics, is the sheer ambition in its collaborations. Who else could unite the punk-rock gravitas of Iggy Pop and the ethereal, haunted Americana of Ethel Cain on the same record? Iggy's deep, weathered baritone on the ballad "The Whole Woman" provides a mesmerizing contrast to von Hausswolff's operatic intensity. Meanwhile, the Ethel Cain duet, "Aging Young Women," is the record's most accessible moment, a hymn-like lament on time and lost dreams that could almost be called "pop"—if that pop tune had been discovered echoing deep within a forgotten cistern. It's this willingness to juxtapose her own intense vision with completely contrasting voices that elevates Iconoclasts from a mere album to a genuinely compelling cultural statement, proving that breaking tradition can be the most traditional thing she does.
Ultimately, the album's title is both a descriptor and a mission statement. Von Hausswolff isn't just seeking to break musical rules; she’s issuing a "battle cry" against the structures—personal, religious, and societal—that no longer serve us. This is most evident in tracks like "Facing Atlas," where she invokes the Greek Titan as a symbol of the perils of committing too fully to a single viewpoint, and the sprawling, eleven-minute title track, which uses its thunderous sonic journey to explore internal and external conflict. The result is a work of immense emotional power and artistic bravery, cementing Anna von Hausswolff as one of the most unpredictable and vital voices in contemporary experimental music.
Follow Anna von Hausswolff on Instagram at @annavonhausswolff
