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Track By Track: Act I By Bríet
Bríet’s Life Is A Movie After completely owning the Icelandic music scene since the release of her 2020 Esjan, Bríet — to the great surprise of her fans — turned towards writing music in English. Back and forth between Nashville, Tennessee, and Iceland,…
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Second-hand Synesthesia: Ólöf Arnalds Returns To Familiar Scenes On Spíra
Sprouting again Since the early 2000s, Ólöf Arnalds has been a fixture in the Icelandic music scene. Earning her stripes as a touring member of indietronica band múm from 2003-2008, Ólöf eventually went solo in 2007. On December 5, Ólöf is set…
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Grapevine New Music Picks: Bríet, Symfaux, Róshildur & More
After the Iceland Airwaves madness last weekend, some might think we’d take a break on covering music this week. Those nay-sayers wouldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, artists tend to use the festival as a publishing date, using the festival…
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múm Is A Living Proof That A Long-Distance Relationship Can Work
Spread across different countries and cities, the members of the legendary band came together on the stage of Harpa for their first homebound show in at least seven years on the closing night of Iceland Airwaves 2025, Sunday, November 9. The day…
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Day Four: múm Concludes 2025 Iceland Airwaves
In múm’s August interview with the Grapevine, guitarist Róberta Andersen noted that the group has “become so good at being together.” Though she was emphasising the group’s cohesion as they embarked on a three-month tour, this quote encapsulates múm’s Sunday performance that…
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Day Three: Iceland Airwaves 2025 Reykjavík Grapevine Coverage
The Reykjavík Grapevine presents our daily, comprehensive coverage of 2025 Iceland Airwaves. This year, we are pleased to introduce a number of new writers joining us as we try to document and explain what makes this specific festival so unique. The reviews…
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Day Two: Iceland Airwaves 2025 Reykjavík Grapevine Coverage
The Reykjavík Grapevine presents our daily, comprehensive coverage of 2025 Iceland Airwaves. This year, we are pleased to introduce a number of new writers joining us as we try to document and explain what makes this specific festival so unique. The reviews…
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Countess Malaise Returns From Exile
The queen of goth hip-hop reinvents herself with first release in four years Despite a four-year hiatus from the music scene, Countess Malaise is a perennial icon in Reykjavík’s effervescent rap scene. A household name at the long-standing hip-hop joint/café Prikið, Countess…
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An Album Rises From The Ashes: Gísli Gunnarsson Releases Úr Öskunni
Gísli Gunnarsson chronicles the aftermath of evacuating Grindavík on Úr Öskunni Úr Öskunni by Gísli Gunnarsson “There were a lot of different emotions that I went through over the months following all this. A lot of uncertainty at first, and then it…
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Day One: Iceland Airwaves 2025 Reykjavík Grapevine Coverage
The Reykjavík Grapevine presents our daily, comprehensive coverage of 2025 Iceland Airwaves. This year, we are pleased to introduce a number of new writers joining us as we try to document and explain what makes this specific festival so unique. The reviews…
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Grapevine New Music Picks: Ómar Guðjónsson, Joey Christ, Björk & More
As the snow disintegrates equally fast as it appeared, Reykjavík reaches an equilibrium. This is the mundane environment in which capital area residents grow up in, constantly battling half-thawed puddles, aggressive rain, and a general sense of despair. I guess that’s why…
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RAKEL’s Debut LP Mixes The Natural With The Unnatural
RAKEL finds her place with a place to be One of the busiest people in the Icelandic music scene, solo artist RAKEL anticipates the release of her debut LP a place to be on October 17. No stranger to the music industry,…
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Track By Track: Í Hringi By Woolly Kind
Warm, fuzzy folk rock Self-described fuzz-folk troupe Woolly Kind, spearheaded by local musician Einar Karl Pétursson, released its first — and perhaps last — album on September 26. Right after its release and subsequent concert, the performing band disbanded, leaving Einar to figure out…
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Noise Complaints Against Noise Festival
FALCONFEST brought two days of noise to LEMMY, despite obstructions In the past year, the elusive and provocative collective Spider Network has thrown several festivals with thrilling lineups, all focused on platforming noise music. In the first weekend of October, Spider Network…
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State Of The Art: Energetic And Post-Genre
In their second iteration, the festival continues to explore unlikely collaborations and venues The unconventional and experimental State of the Art festival entered the scene last year to much excitement; events such as Baroque music performed at AUTO Nightclub, a symposium on…
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Video Premiere: Íris Thorarins Spotlights The Guzheng In ‘A Duet Of Distant Strings’
Icelandic composer Íris Thorarins releases the video to her latest art piece, “A Duet Of Distant Strings.” Described as a “musical dialogue,” the piece features the Chinese guzheng and viola in constant interplay, dotted with scenes of interpretive dance. Watch the premiere…
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Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall: Knackered’s New EP Is Looking Back At You
Tucked behind the bar in Bíó Paradís, the words “FYI I’M KNACKERED” are scrawled in squiggly sky blue text across an otherwise nondescript mirror. On closer inspection, you might recognise the text as designed by beloved local illustrator Natka. A QR code…
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Track By Track: Alveg By Benni Hemm Hemm & Páll Óskar
Brought together for the TV programme Hljómskálinn, neither Páll Óskar nor Benni Hemm Hemm suspected that this one-off opportunity would take further flight. As their collaboration progressed, more and more demos started springing up. Before they knew it, they were making an…
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Trúnó On The Dancefloor: Inside Benni Hemm Hemm And Páll Óskar’s New Album
Benni Hemm Hemm and Páll Óskar join forces for a politically charged, sugary pop album In a rare twist of fate, famed Icelandic musicians Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson and Benedikt Hermann Hermannsson marry their talents for their latest creation Alveg, out September 26.…
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Track By Track: Örvar Þóreyjar Smárason Explains múm’s History Of Silence
Experimental outfit múm celebrate their first LP in 12 years Acclaimed experimental band múm explore silence, play, and muted sounds. However soft, múm surprise listeners with dynamic shifts in tone and intensity throughout their songwriting. Their first LP since the 2013 Smilewound,…
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Sandrayati Creates Life Alongside Her Latest Album INHABIT
A deeper resonance Expecting the birth of her first child, Indonesian-born Sandrayati Fay welcomed the release of her sophomore LP INHABIT on September 5. Making an outsized impact with her debut EP Bahasa Hati in 2017, Indonesian-born artist Sandrayati settled down in…
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Music Reviews: Laufey, Tómas Jónsson, & Kira Kira
The latest issue of Grapevine is now flooding the streets of Reykjavík and various other municipalities. In the latest paper, we scrutinised three new releases by Icelandic musicians, including Iceland’s hottest punk artist Laufey! Gúmbó nr. 5 by Tómas Jónsson LP —…
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Doing It Right, Getting Wronged: International Students’ Plans Of Studying In Iceland Fall Through
The Grapevine recently reported that applications for student visas in Iceland had increased by 40 percent since last year, and that many of those students were – due to no fault of their own – having difficulties in having their resident permits…