Iceage - For Love of Grace & The Hereafter
Iceage’s new album is one of the best in their discography: it is strange, it is sincere, it is captivating.
Danish post-punk outfit Iceage released their previous album, Seek Shelter, back in 2021. It feels as though an eternity has passed before receiving a new full-length from them. In five years, the world has undoubtedly changed. Iceage have changed as well: their sixth studio album, For Love of Grace & The Hereafter, moves away from the icy textures that once defined the band, while frontman Elias Rønnenfelt’s voice has grown noticeably rougher. Yet one thing remains intact: Rønnenfelt’s remarkable ability to create an unsettling sense of intimacy through his piercing lyricism.
Elias seems fully aware of this himself. “I love you in an ominous way”, he sings on the opening track, “Ember”, one of the few moments here that recalls the “old” Iceage. Heavily indebted to early-2000s garage rock, the song sets the stage for the record, plunging listeners into Rønnenfelt’s fascinating world of romantic confessions. What follows, however, may alienate fans hoping for the band’s trademark unfiltered post-punk. Take the subsequent “Match Head Girl”, which leans heavily into the more accessible side of dance-punk. Its repetitive “du-du-du” refrain and irresistible bass-driven groove linger in the mind long after the song ends, making it seem as though Iceage are on the verge of becoming another sellout act. The truth, though, is that no matter which direction the band chooses, they sound exceptional within it.
The record doesn’t simply keep accelerating, however. “Salve for Every Sore” races forward at such a frantic pace that Elias occasionally sounds as if he is struggling to keep up with himself. Meanwhile, “mother-of-pearl”, which tells the story of a young woman carrying the child of a heroin addict, blends classic rock reminiscent of The Rolling Stones with the familiar post-punk stylings of Fontaines D.C. — and the results are astonishing. Rønnenfelt howls and gasps for breath, creating the sensation of watching a guest band perform in a crowded bar, with the singer seemingly moments away from approaching your table and pulling you into the chaos. The shimmering “1835”, driven by sparkling guitar riffs, offers a brief respite from Elias’ outbursts. His performance is restrained yet passionate, compelling without ever becoming confrontational, and catchy enough to have your head nodding involuntarily.
It would be a mistake to think that For Love of Grace & The Hereafter excels solely because of its sound. One of the album’s highlights, “Star”, is a painfully tender love letter that blurs the line between romance and mortality. Elias invites his beloved to dissolve into a nebula and die like a star before repeating “Louisiana” nine times at the song’s conclusion, each repetition landing like a final blow in a closing scene. It is an honest, unvarnished piece of songwriting that feels almost hypnotic. On the beautifully metaphorical “The Weak”, he tells the story of a songbird trapped in a cage, whose melodies were beautiful before its freedom was taken away. “Life is for the weak”, he declares, straining every fiber of his voice, and the line lingers long after the track has ended.
Fifteen years after their debut, Iceage seem to have abandoned the deliberate severity that once characterized much of their work. This is still an intelligent record about love and grace, but one crafted with a broader audience in mind. Regardless of the path they choose, Iceage always sound entirely natural inhabiting it. Then again, there is always something fascinating about discovering exactly how Elias Rønnenfelt will break your heart this time. For Love of Grace & The Hereafter feels like a precious pearl amid an increasingly crowded indie landscape. Thoughtfully constructed and consistently compelling, it stands as one of the strongest releases of the year and among the very best records in Iceage’s eclectic catalog.
8.4/10
