Jenny Hval pres. Iris Silver Mist + Thea Grant

silent green and ByteFM present

Jenny Hval
Jenny Hval is a Norwegian musician and writer known for her avant-garde approach to music and thought-provoking explorations of gender, sexuality, and identity. Blending experimental pop, electronics, and spoken word elements, Hval has carved out a distinctive voice in contemporary music.

Since her debut, she has released critically acclaimed albums such as Innocence Is Kinky (2013), Blood Bitch (2016) and Classic Objects (2022), earning praise for her poetic lyricism and boundary-pushing soundscapes. She has collaborated with a number of other artists, most notably in her duo Lost Girls (with Håvard Volden).

Beyond music, Hval is also an accomplished author, weaving surrealist and philosophical themes into her novels. Her work continues to challenge conventions, offering a unique intersection of art, literature, and music.

In 2025 Hval will release the album Iris Silver Mist (4AD), with music from her interdisciplinary piece I want to be a machine (2024), as well as literary and sound art influences. The concert will consist of new and old material.

Emma Aars on Iris Silver Mist:

On the album’s first single, To be a rose, Jenny’s words linger somewhere between speech and song. “A rose is a rose is a rose is a cigarette” she sings, speaks, to the beat of a drum machine. The rose grows taller with each chorus as the chords change, to the rhythm of the smoke from her mother’s cigarette dancing through the air. Smoke and flowers intertwine throughout the album, so does the parallel between Jenny and her mother. “I was singing in my room, she smoked on the balcony/Long inhales and long exhales performed in choreography.”

Thea Grant
Thea Grant's breathy and gentle vocal delivery sets a tone of intimacy, drawing listeners into a world where sound becomes an ethereal companion. The richness of her composition lies in its multifaceted layers: warm sub-bass swells form a sturdy foundation, enveloping you in a cocoon of deep, resonating tones. These are further complemented by reverberated layers that stretch across the sonic spectrum, creating a vast and immersive soundscape.

Thea’s sense of contrast is clearly demonstrated. While the foundation is built on intimacy and warmth, there's a playful yet artful incorporation of heavy distortion and vocal pitch shifting. These elements add vibrant crunch to the otherwise dreamy, distant feel, creating an intriguing tension within the music. 

The Oslo based artist released her debut solo album Water and Dreams on Shadow World / Hot Salvation in 2024, prior to this having toured and released music with various bands and collaborative projects connected to the experimental pop, rock and improscene. Water and Dreams showcases varied emotional landscapes inviting listeners to a journey beyond music, urging introspection through a captivating, evocative soundscape. 

Tuesday, May 27
Betonhalle
Doors: 7 pm / Start: 8 pm
Tickets