One of the great mysteries of today's post-punk scene is the lack of recognition, at least by users of the genre, of Iceage as one of its key bands. Maybe it's because their first records weren't the most immediate or maybe, simply, because they don't come from the British Isles or the United States.
Now on their sixth album, Elias Rønnenfelt and his band don't mind it and continue to incorporate new elements into their ever-changing and decadent post-punk recipe.
If the new element of the previous “Seek Shelter” (from 5 years ago now) was represented by the baggy/madchester sounds, however also present in this “For Love Of Grace And The Hereafter”, in the pulsating and gascony “Star”, this time the novelty is daring rockabilly inserts and amusing alt-country references.
After “Ember”, a forerunner burning with passion which, together with the expressionist cover depicting a kiss, introduces the album's love themes, the xylophones and du-du-dus of “Match Head Girl” reveal fruitful doses of Violent Femmes and Weezer, while “The Weak” highlights abuses of psychobilly, especially with a delicious central part fomented by handclaps and out-of-tune flutes.
The Danes instead turn to Albion in “No Fear”: they do it with a nice bass line (in reality Jakob Tvilling's work Pless is great everywhere), the delicate strumming on the acoustic guitar and the crooked but hymnodic chorus. Even though these are post-punk songs, Iceage's attention to detail is always crazy and their choices simple, but effective, as in the case of the keyboards of the wild “Holy Water” or the string decorations that give a sinister tone to the final “True Blue”.
As usual, Iceage won't cause havoc with the public, but the ones who stand to lose are essentially the latter, who once again will miss out on the work of a formidable, versatile, engaging band, which has nothing to envy of any of its Anglo-Irish counterparts… on the contrary.
03/06/2026
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
