Neon Ion - Laugh Now, Cry Later (2026) [Hi-Res]

Neon Ion returns with her most personal and ambitious album to date. "Laugh Now, Cry Later" is a cinematic R&B universe where warm synths, playful vocal textures, and deep emotional impact meet in an expression that both comforts and challenges. The release marks a turning point in Natalie Sandtorv’s artistic journey, an album shaped by adversity, personal struggle, and musical rebirth.

The album was created over a long period of time, through different phases of life and extraordinary circumstances. At the beginning of the writing process, she went through a complicated period in which she felt that the dream of having children was slipping away, a chapter of life that had been postponed in order to focus on her career. The news hit hard, and the song "Laugh Now, Cry Later" was written shortly afterward. Months passed and an IVF process was about to begin, but suddenly Natalie became pregnant, and life smiled again.

In the midst of recording, and during her pregnancy, Sandtorv lost hearing in one ear due to a condition called Sudden Deafness, triggered by the pregnancy. Instead of putting the music on pause, this moment became a catalyst for change. The soundscape became more precise, more detailed, and more intuitive. A new way of listening led to a new way of singing and writing, while still retaining the essential Neon Ion elements.

Three singles have already pointed the way forward:
"Softer" – written in the aftermath of the diagnosis, a vulnerable yet powerful opening.
"Laugh Now, Cry Later" – the title track, an explosion of emotion that breaks down the boundaries between jazz, soul, and pop.
"Desert Bloom" – inspired by nature’s rebirth, with a hypnotic and cinematic quality.

The album explores what happens when you have to rebuild yourself without losing your humour, desire, or forward momentum. It is not about vulnerability in itself, but about the strength of standing within it, and about the joy of creating something greater than the circumstances.

At the heart of the album is a band that brings the songs to life: Jonas Hamre (saxophone), Kjetil Jerve and Kai von der Lippe (keyboards), Kristian Jacobsen (bass), and Ole Mofjell (drums). Together they create an organic and boundless soundscape that is constantly in motion.