Björk - the gate - Single [Review]

Icelandic electronica musician Björk has finally followed up on her 2015 release Vulnicura with the haunting single "the gate," which will be found on her upcoming album Utopia (due to be released in November). (Read my review of Vulnicura here.) Björk said quite some time ago, probably last year in fact, that the new album would be the paradise to Vulnicura's hell, which makes sense because Vulnicura could definitely be described as a sort of hell, as it very closely chronicles the pain experienced right before, during, and after her split from ex-partner Matthew Barney. Utopia promises happier and more uplifting themes, and its lead single definitely seems to be an indicator. Even though "the gate" is sonically eerie and dark, its lyrics speak of the love (possibly even self-love) that comes from healing. Even on Vulnicura, a genius album nothing short of devastating, Björk offers hints of hope, seeming to offer the idea that pain makes us stronger: "Don't remove my pain; it is my chance to heal," she sings on the track "Notget." The cover art of Vulnicura shows us Björk with a hole in her chest where her heart should be (which is also imagery found in the "Lionsong" music video), representative of how the break-up made her feel emotionally. Some song lyrics referenced this feeling, as well. On the opening track, for example, she sings, "All that matters is who is open-chested and who has coagulated." It should come as no surprise, then, that Utopia's lead single features lyrics that reference her "healed chest wound." "the gate" and most likely most of Utopia are likely to show us the paradise that can oftentimes follow a hell.

I have seen some fans affectionately call "the gate" Vulnicura's tenth track because of how it seems to complete, or at least continue, its story. I agree; however, "the gate" is both sonically and thematically different from most of what a listener would hear on Vulnicura. Much of Vulnicura is made up of strings, whereas "the gate" is heavily composed of woodwinds and synths. Vulnicura deals with separation, and "the gate" deals with unity. The song, which features reverberating vocals that provide an atmospheric and dreamy effect, speaks of a wound becoming a passage through which love can pass, and throughout the chorus, Björk sings that "I care for you" as synths and strings waver eerily. This has not been confirmed, but I think that the song also references her well known 1995 hit "Army of Me." "Army of Me" was a demand that the receiver stop being so needy, to start becoming independent. Its second verse asks for "self-suffience please," and in "the gate," Björk sings in the third verse, "Didn't used to be so needy... Proud self-sufficiency." I believe this to be a callback to "Army of Me" because in "Army of Me," Björk, in the song's chorus, warns that "if you complain once more, you'll meet an army of me," and Vulnicura, in keeping with those words, is essentially a giant complaint. Björk is now saying that she better understands that neediness because of her painful experience but that getting herself through it made her stronger. I love "the gate" and cannot wait for Utopia to arrive. Björk is one of a very select few artists who can successfully pull off an eerie and somewhat dissonant song that still manages to be beautiful and harmonious. I am really looking forward to discovering what the album's overall sound is.