On “That Battle Is Over,” Jenny Hval spills her guts like it’s no big deal: these days every thing I write begins with the question, “What’s wrong with me?” That’s only one of several dozen ideas that spill out of the Norwegian singer-songwriter’s brain in the span of four minutes. The track is the first single from “Apocalypse, Girl” , the follow up to Hval’s collaborative LP with Susanna and her first full-length since signing to Brooklyn label Sacred Bones.
In a press release, Jenny Hval said the song—which is just built on a percussive loop, some organ chords, and Hval’s angelic multi-tracked vocalizations—is intentionally “flat,” and that it’s like her version of Fiona Apple karaoke. While it’s true that the song’s melody mirrors “Criminal” in a few places, “That Battle Is Over” feels more conceptual than that comparison allows; it’s like a weird, rambling, Hval-ian take on the idea of a “pop song” in general. “Apocalypse, Girl” is out on June 9th.
The Fat Angel Sings 