Danish superstar MØ has today released Motordrome: The Dødsdrom Edition, an expanded version of her recent album Motordrome, alongside a new single Spaceman, which are both out now via RCA.
Featuring the 1996 #1 hit by Babylon Zoo, MØ’s new single Spaceman is an upbeat and eccentric track that feels like an alternate reality rave and is accompanied by a mesmerising and dramatic video by Fa & Fon, who also directed the New Moon video. MØ says:
“I wrote my version of the song with Noonie Bao, Ilsey Juber, and Oscar Holter, building on the original version written by Jas Mann. It was Oscar Holter who had the brilliant idea to use the hook from Babylon Zoo’s cult classic “Spaceman” as the chorus, and we all loved that idea! We wrote our demo back in 2017, but the timing just didn’t feel right. Then came 2022, and all of a sudden, I was like “it’s now!” We decided to rework the production a little bit – describing the vibe we were going for as “Gotham rave party” – and that’s how we arrived at the final version.”
Motordrome: The Dødsdrom Edition features new single Spaceman and recent release True Romance alongside two brand new tracks Bad Moon and Real Love. The release is separated into two sides, with all four new tracks on Disc 1 and the original Motordrome album on Disc 2, to create one 14-track new release. MØ says:
“Dødsdrom means Motordrome in Danish. This collection of songs was written throughout the span of my career, but it also completes the Motordrome universe.”
The full tracklisting is as follows:
Disc 1
- Spaceman
- True Romance
- Bad Mood
- Real Love
Disc 2
- Kindness
- Live To Survive
- Wheelspin
- Cool To Cry
- Youth Is Lost
- New Moon
- Brad Pitt
- Goosebumps
- Hip Bones
- Punches
Motordrome is MØ’s first body of work since 2018’s much lauded ‘Forever Neverland’ and the 10-track album is a commanding new collection of songs that combine full-blown pop with darker grungy punk alongside honest and confronting lyrics. Alongside recent single ‘New Moon’, the album features the singles ’Kindness,’ a love letter to her fans, the euphoric ‘Live To Survive’ the raw ‘Goosebumps’ and the ode to her teenage crush ‘Brad Pitt’.
MØ enlisted friends and long-time collaborators Caroline Ailin (Dua Lipa, Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding) and Noonie Bao (Halsey, Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen) to help flesh out her original song workings, with further songwriting and production from a close circle including Ariel Rechtshaid (Haim, Vampire Weekend, Adele), Jam City (Olivia Rodrigo, Troye Sivan), S.G. Lewis (Dua Lipa), Linus Wiklund and Yangze.
‘Motordrome’s’ title came from a conversation MØ had with her mother about her battles with anxiety. The panic and intrusive thoughts called to mind the “dødstrome”, which is an old carnival trick in which a stuntperson rides a motorcycle around the vertical walls of a motordrome at death-defying speeds. The making of the album proved to be MØ’s escape from this deepening spiral, although the album is very much a document of a person-in-progress. While there is a strong sense of empowerment and of brighter days ahead, it also serves as a reminder that everyone has to deal with their own dødstrome and that there is no perfect remedy for life’s struggles, and that’s OK.
MØ also recently launched her new website ‘Karen’s Desktop’, which gives a unique insight into her creative process and artistic mind and allows fans to access content such as old demos, touring imagery and lyrics alongside access to new music and creativity.
MØ returned to the road in February with US tour dates with Imagine Dragons alongside her own North America headline shows and she recently completed dates in the UK and Europe, including a sold-out headline show at London Heaven. She will be performing at various festivals this summer, with full dates as follows:
August 12th – Flow Festival, Finland
August 13th – Way Out West Festival, Sweden
November 20th – Corona Capital Festival, Mexico