"Atopos" is a song by Icelandic musician Björk featuring Kasimyn of Indonesian duo Gabber Modus Operandi, released on 6 September 2022 as the lead single from Björk's tenth studio album Fossora. The song was co-written by Björk and Kasimyn, and premiered on BBC Radio 6 Music.[2]
Background
Björk announced the song's release date on her social media on 5 September 2022, calling it "like Fossora's passport" and describing it as "Sonically a heavy bottom-ended bass world. We have 6 bass clarinets, punchy sub drilling, nesting and digging us into the ground."[2]
The song's title comes from the Greek word for "strange, or out of place"[3] and with lyrics about "hope" and "collective optimism", takes inspiration from French theorist Roland Barthes' interpretation of the concept of atopy.[4]
Critical reception
Shaad D'Souza of The Guardian described the song as "an apocalyptic almost-dance track which pairs experimental techno with pulsing clarinets".[5] Eric Torres of Pitchfork called it a "strange, ecstatic balance of honking bass clarinets, cooing background vocals, and forceful beats" from Kasimyn with the "kinetic looseness of 2007's Volta" and a "vertigo-inducing percussive breakdown".[4]
Music video
The music video was also released on 6 September 2022, and was directed by Viðar Logi.[2] Madison Bloom and Jazz Monroe of Pitchfork described the video as a "party at a mushoom rave" in a "fungal underworld, where a masked Björk, a bass clarinet sextet, and Gabber Modus Operandi's DJ Kasimyn gear up for a rave showdown".[6]