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Breaking Through: Between Mountains Emerge From The Fjords
When the mayor of Reykjavík announced the winners at this year’s Músíktilraunir, Iceland’s battle of the bands, they couldn’t believe it. Middle schoolers Ásrós Helga Guðmundsdóttir (age sixteen) and Katla Vigdís Vernharðsdóttir (age fourteen) didn’t think their newly formed duo Between Mountains…
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Flúðir Town Guide: Tomatoes, Ethiopian Food And Soccer Golf
A half an hour’s drive inland from the ring road, Flúðir is a tiny town often overlooked by those looking to circle the island in their limited time in the country. The municipal area is home to 800 people, smack dab in…
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Surf Vampires Of Doom: Godchilla Is Fuzzy, Dirty & Loud
The Batcat, Nosferadude and The Glampire King take to the streets in the newest music video from surf-sludge doom metal stalwarts Godchilla. The monster movie trailer-style video for their track “Dracoola” was directed by guitarist Hjalti Freyr Ragnarsson and his girlfriend Kristín…
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Fever Dream: No Acceptance Needed
“I want people to be afraid of me,” proclaims Vigdís Ósk Howser Harðardóttir, the feminist rapper and poet known as Fever Dream. Her new track “Reyndu BARA” is out, with an accompanying music video that’s a scathing attack on the male dominance…
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‘Figure’ Skating: Vök Test The Waters
What does a dream-pop band from Hafnarfjörður do to celebrate the release of their new album? “We went rollerblading!” says Einar Stef, the drummer and newest member of Vök, whose LP ‘Figure’ was released on April 28. “It was our day off…
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That Glowie Sound
Less than two years since the release of her debut single “No More,” Icelandic pop sensation Glowie is set to make a splash on the international stage. In March, she joined some of the biggest names in music by signing a major…
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MYRKFÆLNI: Iceland’s Underground Music Reaches The Surface
The word “myrkfælni” translates as “fear of darkness”—apropos for the tension-filled music presented by MYRKFÆLNI, a new underground music organisation celebrating Iceland’s grittier genres. The group has announced the launch of an international magazine of the same name, aimed at promoting the…
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Sound Fanatic: The Musical World of Hildur Guðnadóttir
To Hildur Guðnadóttir, film scores are more than background noise. The Berlin-based cellist and composer is set to score her highest-profile film to date, ‘Soldado’, the sequel to hit 2015 crime-thriller ‘Sicario’. Starring Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, the film premieres…
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The Dream Wife Never Existed
“Thank you so much to whoever pissed these girls off,” reads the top YouTube comment on Dream Wife’s “FUU” video. FUU stands, of course, for “fuck you up.” The song—a turbulent, semi-improvised, ever-changing staple of the three-piece band’s live sets—includes a spoken…
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Mozart In Slow-Mo: Valgeir Sigurðsson’s ‘Dissonance’
The opening strings on Icelandic composer, producer and performer Valgeir Sigurðsson’s new album ‘Dissonance’ feel poised and collected, almost glacial in pace, building gradually as the tension envelops the listener. Some context from the composer sheds light on the unconventional beginning. “The…
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Hermigervill: T-Minus Fifteen Minutes To Burnout
“Do you know the song ‘One Note Samba?’ This track is called ‘Brown Note Samba,’” says Sveinbjörn Thorarensen, known professionally as Hermigervill. He’s referencing the hypothetical infrasonic frequency that would make people lose control of their bowels due to resonance. “There are…
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Sound And Vision: The Graphic Electronica of Án
“I used to think everything sucked if it wasn’t rock,” admits Án, known to his friends and family as Elvar Smári Júlíusson. In January, the 21-year-old electronica producer released his debut EP, ‘Ljóstillífun’ (“Photosynthesis”), —a minimalistic slow burn of synthesized soundscapes, bass…
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Sónar Preview: Synth Auteurs And Feminist Rap
This year’s edition of the Sónar Reykjavík festival features some high-profile international headliners, from Ben Klock and Fatboy Slim to De La Soul and Giggs. The backbone of the lineup, however, has always been the local acts. Sónar showcases some of the…
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Grime Star Giggs Takes Centre Stage At Sónar Reykjavík
With five weeks to go before the Sónar hits downtown Reykjavík, the festival has announced that award winning UK grime artist Giggs will headline the SonarHall stage on the closing night. The controversial rapper’s latest album ‘Landlord’ debuted at number two in the…
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Track Of The Issue: ‘You’ by Spítali
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/252343089″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] Download the track here! The tight-knit Reykjavík music scene allows for some serious genre-bending. With their new project Spítali (which simply means “hospital”), longtime friends and collaborators Sindri Már Sigfússon and Halldór Ragnarsson break onto…
