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Music News: Björk’s Back, New Myrkfælni Record Label And More
Atli Örvarsson Releases New Album Film buffs—basically anyone with good taste—will be familiar with Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson. Atli has spent the last 15 years living the LA dream, but recently he returned home to the icy climes of Akureyri. The result?…
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A Soundtrack To Get Thrown Out Of Society To: Skoffín Drops New Album
In IÐNÓ’s airy attic space, overlooking Tjörnin, Jóhannes (Jói) Bjarki Bjarkason, Bjarni Daníel, Auðunn Orri Sigurvinsson and Sævar Andri Sigurðarson sit comfortably, sporting electric blue boiler suits and sipping coffee as they reflect on their band’s new album, ‘Skoffín hentar íslenskum aðstæðum’.…
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Grapevine Playlist: Brikcs, Atli Örvarsson, Kiriyama Family And More
This month, we discovered ambient music that haunts our dreams. We also learned that Emo is still alive and well, and that Icelandic pop is still the best pop (we’re not biased or anything). KÚTKAST – SUPERPOSITION Here is a nice bit…
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Report Warns Of Devastating Toll Of COVID-19 On Icelandic Music Industry
It will come as no surprise to anyone that COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Icelandic music industry hard, but a sombre new report reveals the huge scale of the industry’s losses. The investigation was lead by María Ruth Reynisdóttir and Bryndís Jónatansdóttir,…
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Björk Announces Trio Of Harpa Summer Performances With Iceland Airwaves
Björk’s back baby. That’s right, everyone’s go-to Icelandic pop culture reference and unofficial queen of kooky headpieces will be gracing the floorboards of Harpa with three weekend performances this summer in collaboration with Iceland Airwaves. “I want to celebrate the fact that…
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PREMIERE: sillus Drops Captivating New Video For “dapply”
An eerily desolate Icelandic landscape and effortlessly graceful choreography—today Sigurlaug (Silla) Thorarensen a.k.a. sillus releases the perfect visual accompaniment to “dapply,” a haunting lo-fi track from her 2018 EP. “This video came about because the song was chosen to be in the…
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Reykjavík’s Innipúkin Festival To Go Ahead This Summer
As Iceland rapidly regains a sense of normality after the COVID-19 outbreak, organisers have announced that Reykjavík’s Innipúkin festival will go ahead this summer. The 19th Innipúkin festival will be held between July 31st and August 2nd, over the bank holiday weekend.…
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Online Culture Pick: JFDR Performs In Greenpeace’s Action All Areas Festival
Forget wellies and cramped tents – this year we’re enjoying festival season from the comfort of the sofa. Ever-enchanting Icelandic songstress, JFDR, will be taking centre stage this weekend in a free virtual festival, Action All Areas, organised by Greenpeace. We’re long-time JFDR…
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The Grapevine June Playlist: Daði, Mighty Bear, Joey Christ
Look, we get it. It’s been a rough year, and you just wanna relax with some chill tunes and good vibes. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with our June playlist. Daði – family man A truly hypnotising piece of ambient pop, Daði’s…
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Meet dirb: A Debut Album That Serves Up A Melange Of Sounds
Ingvi Rafn Björgvinsson, also known as dirb, creates music that is just as unusual as his name. The pseudonym comes from the combination of a childhood nickname and his initials. “When I was young, and my brother was starting to be able…
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Icelandic Musicians Awarded COVID-19 Recovery Grants
Grants for Icelandic musicians have been announced as part of the Icelandic government’s post-coronavirus economic recovery programme. The 81 million ISK fund will be shared between 162 musical projects. Minister for Education and Culture, Lilja Alfreðsdóttir released the full list of grant…
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Growing Pains: Special-K Discusses Her New Intimate EP ‘LUnatic thirST’
Special-K soars to new realms of musical, lyrical and emotional maturity in her latest avant-garde pop offering, ‘LUnatic thirST’. As she puts it, if her debut album “‘I Thought I’d Be More Famous By Now was a teenager’, this EP is an…
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Introducing Ultraflex: 80s Soviet Aerobics Meets Modern Disco
There’s a new band on the block and its transporting intrepid listeners to the future by way of 1980s Russia and modern day Iceland, Germany and Norway. Introducing Ultraflex… Ultraflex is a collaboration between Norwegian musician Farao and Reykjavik’s own Katrín Helga…
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Will Ferrell Awards Italy 12 Points In Iceland’s Mock Eurovision Contest
Hollywood star Will Ferrell made a guest appearance on RÚV’s Eurovision Celebrationfai show last night to reveal that Iceland’s favourite contribution was ‘Fai Rumore’ sung by Italy’s Diadato. In response to the devastating cancellation of Eurovision 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,…
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The Grapevine Playlist: CYBER, Benni Hemm Hemm, IDA IDK, Hjaltalín
Desperately need to to stop revisiting your 2014 playlist of “indie bangers”? Enter the Reykjavik Grapevine! We’re here to save the day with a selection of the best new tracks Iceland has to offer. CYBER – “starry night” Here is an electronic…
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Track By Track: ‘Cold Wind’ By Fjara
‘Cold Wind’ is the debut EP from four-piece instrumental band Fjara. In this edition of Track By Track, guitarist—and past Grapevine contributing photographer—Matthew Eisman discusses the stories behind the sounds. Cold Wind It was our second time playing all together and the…
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Grapevine Playlist: Minimalistic Sam Smith, Salóme Katrín & More
Looking for some new tunes? Presenting the legendary Grapevine playlist. Sam Smith- “To Die For (Ólafur Arnalds Remix)” Ólafar Arnalds’ remix of Sam Smith’s single serves up a minimalistic take on the heartbreaking ballad. Slow, instrumental, and stripped of the beginning’s audio…
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Grapevine Playlist: Elín Ey, Hrim, Dirb & More
Here’s what the Grapevine team is listening to this week. Elín Ey – Waterloo This acoustic cover of an ABBA classic lends the tune a whole new tone. While the original is fast and upbeat, this version is slow and melancholy. I…
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Dream On: JFDR’s New Album ‘New Dreams’ Is A Portrait Of Growing Up
Jófríður Ákadóttir, who performs under the stage name JFDR, sits in her house, in the midst of a storm that has shut down Reykjavík completely. “I woke up at seven and it was so loud,” she exclaims, as she hunts for an…
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Electric Dreams: Evil Suburban Kids – Make The Scene Great Again
Evil Suburban Kids (ESK) is an emergent collective hosting regular dance-music events around town that showcase broad-minded DJs and musicians who feel a need to revitalize the city’s clubbing culture. After making contact with their headquarters, they declared to me their present…
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Track By Track: ‘Lovelife’ By Cryptochrome
Electro-psychedelic-post-hip-hop-pop collective Cryptochrome has consistently been pushing the envelope of sound since they debuted in 2013. The eclectic elders of the booming Reykjavík rap scene, the group is now back with a new EP ‘Lovelife’—an effort chock full of dreamy vocals mixed…
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GDRN 2.0: The Singer Is Back With A Poetic Sophomore Effort
“I’m doing really good,” Guðrún Ýr Eyfjörð Jóhannesdóttir says brightly, smiling as she sits back into a couch at Stofan, delicately sipping an americano. The artist, known under the moniker GDRN, dropped her self-titled sophomore effort just days ago and is currently…
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Electric Dreams: Kuldaboli’s Insanity And Madness
Without a doubt, Kuldaboli is currently one of Iceland’s most prolific music projects. Before leaving the country a couple of years ago, the musician—he chose not to appear under his own name here—was involved in projects that fall outside of the spectrum…