Icona Pop releases new studio album Ritual

Swedish electro-pop duo Icona Pop, consisting of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, has released their new studio album, ‘Ritual’, via Ultra Records and Iconic Sound Recordings. The 10-track project follows a significant transitional period for the artists, who both became mothers within days of each other and relocated from Los Angeles back to Sweden.

The album explores themes of motherhood, heartbreak, anxiety, and personal reinvention. The focus track, ‘Hurt’, is accompanied by an official visualizer co-directed by the duo and Nicole Walker. The song is described as a transition from heartbreak to acceptance, utilizing a mix of quiet keys and energetic, bass-driven rhythms.

‘Ritual’ includes previously released singles such as ‘Yellow Top’, ‘Butterfly Feelings’, ‘Dance To This’, and the title track ‘Ritual’ featuring Daya. The duo noted that the recording process served as a therapeutic way to explore uncomfortable emotions without strict creative rules.