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Echoes Of The End: Inside The Biggest Icelandic Video Game Of 2025
When Echoes of the End was released, the heavens opened. A rare, torrential downpour swept over Reykjavík for an entire hour — torrents flowed from the rooftops, and rivers ran through the streets. I was out on Grandi driving slowly through the…
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Changing Tastes At Fönix: Visiting Reykjavík’s Enduring Sichuan Outpost
Fönix is an unassuming 36-seat Chinese restaurant in the somewhat grey and concrete-heavy locale of Höfðinn. It sits on the middle floor of a three-storey strip mall next to one of Iceland’s biggest motorways, between a car workshop and a hunting supplies…
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Alaska1867 Lands In 101 Reykjavík
After a few years spent simmering and cooking, bleeding-edge rapper Alaska1867 burst onto the 101 scene with force in 2025. The 222 EP was a statement of intent; hit single “SOS” is one of the sounds of the summer. With an Airwaves…
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Billy Corgan And The Pumpkins Energise Sold Out Crowd At Laugardalshöll
Smashing Pumpkins play Reykjavík 30 years late, but firing on all cylinders “I don’t wanna go to the fucking Blue Lagoon,” spits Billy Corgan, spikily. “I wanna go to the black lagoon, where all the goths go.” He breaks out into his…
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Giant Noodles And Jiggly Cats: Biang Reykjavík Opens Its Doors
Western Chinese food has soared in popularity in recent years. From the numbing heat of Sichuan pepper and fiery Dan Dan noodles, to wide, hand-stretched biangbiang noodles and steaming hot pot, interest has never been higher. It’s part of a larger shift…
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Fine Art And Flow: Þula Gallery Spreads Its Wings
The work of the gallerist is an opaque craft. They are the people who help artists navigate the tricky terrain of the industry — networking and dealmaking, detail-wrangling and logistics, hand-holding, hustling, and a lot more besides. They need to have a…
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Changing Tides In Bathing Culture
Or: how I learned to stop worrying and love the spa That floating around in hot water is good for you is a universally recognised truth. Wherever in the world there’s natural hot water, people hop in — from the peaceful sentō of…
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Lose Yourself To Music: The Many Inspirations Of Katla Yamagata
Katla Yamagata hit the scene with a bang in September last year, when her debut EP Postulín (“Porcelain”) dropped, seemingly out of nowhere. Produced by JóiPé, it’s a 13-minute journey through five smooth, contemporary pop songs, including a notable guest appearance from…
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The Spice Is Right: Himalayan Spice Pulls No Punches
The Icelandic palate has been known to struggle with spicy food. It’s a common beef among 101 foodies that restaurants will tone down the heat for the local audience, for many of whom, a pinch of white pepper is reason enough to…
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What Might Grow: ‘In The Undergrowth’ Rethinks Our Relationship To Nature
Life in the age of climate catastrophe isn’t easy. As we watch things unfold around us — in the news, then edging ever closer, until they’re in our backyard — it can feel overwhelming. It’s a weight too big to be carried;…
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All That Is Green Is (Not) Good: Inuk Silis Høegh’s Widescreen Art
It’s about ten minutes into The Green Land that I get the fear. It’s a curious sensation similar to that moment when you’re staring into the night sky, and the joy and wonder of the stars gives way to something else —…
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Cancel Your Spotify: Streaming App CEO Turns Sub Money Into AI War Tech
Everyone knows Spotify — the streaming behemoth that revolutionised the world’s listening habits. It’s a convenient, slick app that offers easy access to all kinds of music, with a sophisticated recommendation engine, an inbuilt social network that shows what our friends are…
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The Great Lake: Mývatn Comes At You Fast
It’s a rain-soaked afternoon in north Iceland when we crest a hill and see the green-grey waters of Mývatn slide into view. Misty and indistinct through the drizzle and the fast-moving wipers, the lake is hypnotic as we roll down a slick…
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‘Life In This House Is Over’ Explores The Intricacies Of Grief
Two writers caught Life In This House Is Over on two different nights and share their thoughts on what stuck with them after the lights came up. First up, Grapevine reporter John Rogers. The Western world is terrible at grieving. Our structures…
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The Joy Of Milk: Sauðagull Puts Sheep Milk On The Map
At the southern tip of Lagarfljöt lies Fljótsdalur, a scenic river valley carved out by meltwater from the northern edge of Vatnajökull. It’s a wild and storied place, with a glacier research centre, a writer’s retreat, and a monastery dating back to…
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Totally In Tents: Camping In Iceland Will Blow You Away
Camping in Iceland is a risk-reward gamble with a high ceiling and a low floor. You might find yourself sitting in the sun in a wild green valley, with gorgeous glacier views, and nicer bathrooms than your apartment. You may also find…
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The Summer Ring Road: Around Iceland In 12 Days
Route One is Iceland’s main highway. It circles the country over a distance of 1,321 km, rolling over mountain passes, undulating fjords, deep tunnels, and narrow roads hewn into the sheer coastline. Driving the Ring Road never gets old — under the…
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The Westman Islands Are A Taste Of The Old Iceland
That tourism has changed Icelandic culture is a truism — but it’s harder to say how. It’s subtle. You might notice it in the quality of an interaction, the weight of a glance, or the vibe in a room. Sometimes, you’ll feel…
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No Time to Relax: Porcelain Fortress Simulates The Chaos Of Life
Video games are a complex phenomenon. Simultaneously a multi-billion-dollar global industry, a modern form of mass entertainment, an emerging art form, and a lightning rod for cultural debates, their emergence can be hard to parse. But for many players, the appeal is…
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The Future Is Lava: A Revolutionary Vision For Housing In Iceland
“Architects today are really stuck in the grip of capital,” says Arnhildur Pálmadóttir. “And I think we should be more.” Her words hang in the air. I blink, surprised, and try to speedily recalibrate my thinking. Architects, in my experience, do not…
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Like A Pizza In The Sun
Krónikan in Kópavogur is a perfect summertime hangout The second the sun comes out in Reykjavík, the same question arrives on everyone’s lips: where’s the best place to go and hang out? There are, of course, plenty of classic downtown options, most…
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Meet Me In Osaka, Meet Me At The Fair: Iceland At The Osaka World Expo
World Expos, also known as World Fairs, are huge international events that happen every five years. Staged in different cities around the globe, participating countries construct elaborate pavilions and host national days showing off their technology, industry, and culture for hundreds of…
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It’s A Frog’s Life: Aska Studios Aim To Make A Splash
“Why frogs? That’s easy,” says Halldór Heiðberg, smiling broadly. “I lived in Sweden as a kid, and I used to collect frogs from the backyard and bring them into the house. My mom would be so mad. I’ve loved frogs ever since.…
