Agnes Obel Releases New Album 'Myopia'

For almost a decade, Agnes Obel has been one of the most unique and genre-defying artists in contemporary music. Today, Obel has released Myopia, her highly-anticipated new album which is out now on Blue Note Records in the U.S. and Deutsche Grammophon in the rest of the world.

The official music video to accompany the album's opening track "Camera's Rolling" is also released today. Created by long-term collaborator and partner Alex Brüel Flagstad, and featuring the pair's dog Woody, the video accompanies the themes within the album and continuously follows on from the videos for the albums' previous singles "Island Of Doom" & "Broken Sleep."

Following the same principles as with her previous albums (Philharmonics, Aventine and Citizen Of Glass), which she completed as a one-woman project in her own Berlin home studio, Obel has been under self-imposed creative isolation with the removal of all outside influences and distraction in the writing, recording and mixing process. "The albums I've worked on have all required that I build a bubble of some kind in which everything becomes about the album."

"For me the production is intertwined with the lyrics and story behind the songs," says Obel. This is precisely what makes her music so compelling and the same is true with Myopia. "Paradoxically, for me I need to create my own myopia to make music." Obel was experimenting with techniques of recording processing, warping and pitching down vocals, strings, piano, celesta and lutheal piano, finding ways to melt these elements together to become one and twisting them in a way that you feel at home within the sound she conjures throughout the record.

Although Obel's music can often curate a monologue of modern-day dystopian-esque news stories that we are all now subject to, the contents of "Island Of Doom" are much more personal, as she explains: "The song is made up of pitched-down piano and cello pizzicato and vocals, all choirs are pitched down and up... In my experience when someone close to you dies it is simply impossible to comprehend that you can't ever talk to them or reach them somehow ever again. They are in many ways still alive because in your consciousness nothing has changed, they're still there with everyone else you know."

Agnes Obel will be playing shows across Europe and North America in 2020. More touring to be announced soon.

Agnes Obel 2020 Tour Dates

Feb 21: London, Rough Trade (In-Store Performance) SOLD OUT

Feb 24: Oslo, Sentrum Scene

Feb 25: Stockholm, Gota Lejon

Feb 26: Copenhagen, KB Hallen

Feb 27: Copenhagen, KB Hallen

Feb 29: Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria SOLD OUT

Mar 01: Mannheim, Capitol SOLD OUT

Mar 02: Hamburg, Laeiszhalle SOLD OUT

Mar 04: Vienna, Arena SOLD OUT

Mar 05: Zurich, Samsung Hall

Mar 06: Lausanne, Metropole SOLD OUT

Mar 09: Prague, Hybernia Theatre SOLD OUT

Mar 11: Groningen, Oosterpoort

Mar 12: Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg SOLD OUT

Mar 13: Tilburg, 013

Mar 15: Warsaw, Progresja SOLD OUT

Mar 16: Berlin, Admiralspalast SOLD OUT

Mar 17: Munich, St Matthaus Kirche SOLD OUT

Mar 19: Nantes, Cite Des Congres SOLD OUT

Mar 20: Paris, Seine Musicale SOLD OUT

Mar 21: Luxembourg, Den Atelier SOLD OUT

Mar 23: Brussels, Cirque Royal SOLD OUT

Mar 25: Bayonne, Theatre Quintaou SOLD OUT

Mar 26: Madrid, Teatro Lara SOLD OUT

Mar 27: Barcelona, Sala Barts

Mar 29: Dublin, Vicar Street SOLD OUT

Mar 31: Manchester, Bridgewater Hall

Apr 01: Edinburgh, Queens Hall

Apr 02: Glasgow, Academy

Apr 04: Whitley Bay, Playhouse SOLD OUT

Apr 05: Cambridge, Corn Exchange

Apr 06: Birmingham, Symphony Hall

Apr 08: Salisbury, City Hall

Apr 09: London, Eventim Apollo

Apr 17: Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia (with Dead Can Dance)

Apr 19: Washington, DC, The Anthem (with Dead Can Dance)

Apr 21: New York City, NY, Radio City Music Hall (with Dead Can Dance)

Apr 22: New Brunswick, NJ, New Jersey State Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)

Apr 23: Montreal, QC, Maison Symphonique

Apr 24: Boston, MA, Boch Center (with Dead Can Dance)

Apr 26: Toronto, ON, Meridian Hall (with Dead Can Dance)

Apr 28: Detroit, MI, Masonic Temple (with Dead Can Dance)

Apr 29: Chicago, IL, The Chicago Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)

May 01: Denver, CO, The Mission Ballroom (with Dead Can Dance)

May 03: Seattle, WA, Paramount Theatre (with Dead Can Dance) SOLD OUT

May 04: Vancouver, BC, Orpheum Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)

May 05: Portland, OR, Aladdin Theater

May 07: San Francisco, CA, The Masonic (with Dead Can Dance) SOLD OUT

May 08: Pioneertown, CA, Pappy & Harriet's

May 09: Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)

May 11: San Diego, CA, San Diego Civic Theatre (with Dead Can Dance)

May 12: Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl (with Dead Can Dance)

May 14: Mexico City, MX, Auditorio Nacional (with Dead Can Dance)

July 04: Werchter, Rock Werchter

July 25: Lyon, Nuits de Fourviere

July 29: Freiburg, Zelt Musik Festival

Aug 09: Amsterdam, Bostheater

Aug 20-23: Brecon Beacons, Green Man Festival

Aug 27: Gdansk, Stary Maneż

Aug 28: Warsaw, Palladium

Aug 29-30: Darmstadt, Golden Leaves Festival