Icona Pop Celebrate An Electrifying Rebirth With New Album ‘Ritual’ — Listen
The “I Love It” hitmakers are back with their latest record that reaffirms their connection with friendship, movement, and music.
ICONA POP: Photographed by Teitur Ardal
ICONA POP: Photographed by Teitur Ardal
Award-winning Swedish electropop music duo Icona Pop are back with the release of their new album, Ritual, through Ultra Records/Iconic Sound Recordings.
In Ritual, the multi-platinum award-winning duo, consisting of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, finds itself at its “most emotionally open and creatively confident,” says the press release. It is packed with club-ready anthems, synths, pop melodies, and openly vulnerable songwriting.
The duo explores various themes, including motherhood, friendship, healing, heartbreak, reinvention, and joy — within the realm of the dance floor as a cathartic form of transformation, release, and connection.
“At its core, Ritual is an album about ownership. Caroline and Aino are owning who they are now — as mothers, creative partners, entrepreneurs, leaders, sisters, and women,” as stated in the press release. “The record channels that evolution into a feminine reclamation, creating space for emotion, catharsis, and transformation while celebrating the friendship that has remained at the center of Icona Pop through it all.”
Check out the track list below:
- “Hurt”
- “Ritual” (feat. Daya)
- “Dance To This”
- “Butterfly Feelings”
- “Cooler”
- “Yellow Top”
- “Mad Love”
- “Didn’t Mean It Like That”
- “Never Over”
- “Foreverness”
“It’s always been us against the world,” the duo shares. “But now, it feels like we’ve built a world of our own. We let each other grow; and we want each other to be happy. It’s beautiful to have somebody with you through the hardest times, but also the greatest times. We don’t take it for granted.”
Having returned to their home country of Sweden after spending years in Los Angeles, they have found that motherhood has ultimately changed the way they see life — both personally and creatively. They channeled their emotions and feelings of heartbreak, anxiety, and change through the 10-track record.
The duo also unveiled the album’s focus single, “Hurt,” along with a visualizer co-directed by the duo and Nicole Walker. Watch the visualizer below:
“The whole journey with Ritual was us being in the studio with people that made us feel safe enough to stay in the uncomfortable and explore,” Icona Pop adds. “We had no rules making this album. All feelings were welcome, and that felt very liberating. That’s why the album sounds so honest. Writing the album became very therapeutic and important to be able to move forward and heal.”
Ultimately, the album celebrates Icona Pop as where they are now — reaffirming their connection with friendship, movement, and music.
“It’s okay to not be okay, but still go out and dance,” Caroline shares. “It’s okay to be where you are right now. Find your rituals, find your friends, and find your energy.” Aino adds, “Go dance, move your body, meet people, hug, kiss, and don’t hide.”
Listen to Ritual below:
Frequently Asked Questions
Ritual explores motherhood, friendship, heartbreak, and reinvention through the dance floor as catharsis. Icona Pop frame it as an album about ownership — reclaiming their identities as mothers and creative partners.
Icona Pop released Ritual through Ultra Records/Iconic Sound Recordings. The 10-track album followed the duo’s return to Sweden after years based in Los Angeles.
“Hurt” is the focus single from Ritual, released with a visualizer co-directed by Icona Pop and Nicole Walker.
Ritual’s 10 tracks are “Hurt,” “Ritual” (feat. Daya), “Dance To This,” “Butterfly Feelings,” “Cooler,” “Yellow Top,” “Mad Love,” “Didn’t Mean It Like That,” “Never Over,” and “Foreverness.”
Icona Pop is a Swedish electropop duo made up of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, known for their multi-platinum, award-winning catalog and enduring friendship.
