Some songs just conjure up certain images in your mind, like a sunny beach or a busy city street. Then there are the tunes that let your mind wander to several types of environments. The music could slip into the background of several scenes and fit. That’s what Jónsi has crafted with his first solo song in a decade, “Exhale.”
A master-craft in atmospherics, “Exhale” gently and seamlessly glides through different moods and styles over five minutes. At the start, it’s heavy piano chords and empty pauses bring to mind the work of Hans Zimmer, built for quiet moments of reflection. But halfway through, he introduces electronic percussion that jolts you into movement. It’s not quite club music, but it balances between that propulsive pulse and a deeper sense of dark serenity.
“Exhale” is available now.