# Ask the Deep

Ask the Deep is the second album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Sóley released in 2015 through Morr Music.

## Background

Sóley released her first album We Sink in 2011 and released two EPs, titled Theater Island and Krómantík, in 2010 and 2014 respectively. She planned to release her second full-length album in 2013 or early 2014. However the album's release was delayed after Sóley became pregnant in 2012. The theme for the album was initially around the deep blue sea and night before developing into an album exploring "how deep you can go within your mind". Sóley used the recording period for the album as a chance to take a break from looking after her daughter, commenting that "it was really good just not to be a mom for an hour or something and just write down some horror songs".
The majority of the album's songs were premiered at the 2014 Iceland Airwaves Festival.
Five songs from the recording sessions that did not make the final album were later released on the EP Don't Ever Listen later in 2015. The songs had been omitted from the final track list because Sóley wanted Ask the Deep to have fewer guitar sounds.

## Reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Consequence | Mixed |
| Iceland Review | |
| New Noise Magazine | Positive |
| PopMatters | |
| The Line of Best Fit | |
In a review for AllMusic, Timothy Monger praised the album as "smart, intimate, and challenging" and "a bold second effort from an intriguing artist". He noted that Ask the Deep built "on the elegantly moody art pop of her 2011 debut We Sink" and was "ultimately bigger in scope". He also described the "dreamy world of treated pianos, smoky synth textures, glitchy beats, and Sóley's quietly engaging vocals" found on the album. Monger selected "Devil", "One Eyed Lady", "Dreamers" and the "Philip Glass-inspired" "Follow Me Down" as the standout tracks from the album.
Edward Hancox rated the album 5 out of 5 in his review for Iceland Review. He described the album as "a thing of dark beauty" and "something truly unique".
Ian King of PopMatters gave the album a rating of 7 out of 10 and described the album as "bigger and darker than its predecessor". He highlighted "Sóley's unique and arresting voice, which can conjure fairy worlds all on its own".
James Appleyard rated the album 8 out 10 in a review for The Line of Best Fit. He noted the album's lyrics "hark back to a traditionally macabre narrative style readily present in Icelandic culture" and "Sóley manages to draw you into her world giving you a warm embrace with skeleton hands". While Appleyard felt the songs on Ask the Deep were not "as immediate as those on Sóley's previous output", he praised the album for showcasing "introspective pop".
Tom Haugen of New Noise Magazine noted that "Sóley extends deeper into introspective song craft" compared to her first album, and "gentle pop moments are often buried under moody atmospheres and dark fairy tales" on Ask the Deep, which "encapsulates the imagination and mystery that seems endemic to Icelandic music".
In a more mixed review for Consequence magazine, Sasha Geffen felt that the album "grazes a darkness that [Sóley is] unwilling to plumb thoroughly" and noted that "the songs [...] rarely [plunge] into the sadness and anger that show themselves in flickers throughout her lyrics". The songs "Devil" and "Follow Me Down" were selected as the essential tracks from the album.

### Awards and nominations

| Year | Organisation | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 2015 | Kraumur | Kraumur Award | Ask the Deep | Nominated | |

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Sóley Stefánsdóttir.

## Personnel

Credits taken from album liner notes.
* Sóley Stefánsdóttir – voices, piano, organs, synths, omnichord, accordion, percussion
* Albert Finnbogason – guitar, bass pedal
* Jón Óskar Jónsson – drums

## Release History

| Release Date | Format | Label | ID No. |
| 8 May 2015 | CD | Morr Music | Morr 138-CD |
| 8 May 2015 | LP | Morr Music | Morr 138-LP |
| 8 May 2015 | LP (Clear Vinyl with Poster) | Morr Music | Morr 138-LP LTD |