Words by

Jóhannes Bjarkason

Photo by

Supplied by Róshildur

Róshildur solves tangled emotions

Behind Artist Róshildur’s debut EP v2,2 is a long and intricate story, denoted by the numerical song titles. Róshildur told us all about her newest record, which came alive in Denmark, Flatey, in airports and cafes.

Skilaboð (v7,4)

“Skilaboð (v7,4)” is a contradictory song that describes an inner debate of wanting constant contact with another person but also wanting silence. To hear your own thoughts and feelings but also wanting to hear someone else’s. Sonically this song travelled the longest of them all, hence the title “(v7,4)”. I recorded the organ with my phone in the church in Flatey. The texture from the organ really countered the strong synths that hold the song up. In that same recording, there was a sound of my chair squeaking and then me flipping a page in my notebook. Those sounds I chopped up and made into the drumbeat that you now hear.

Kría (v6,8)

“Kría (v6,8)” came together super quickly, while others on the album marinated for years. The
chord progression is simple but the vocals build up the tension and release and tell most of the chord story. I often work only with voice layering and improvisation when starting to produce a new track and then build the song from there. The song describes how the arctic tern (Kría in Icelandic) teaches its babies to fly, by flying away and waiting for them to follow. Somehow I related to this in my relationship. Taking turns and flying further and higher. By doing that, the person who follows then flies even further when it’s their turn.

Orðin (v4,5)

“Hlustaðu á eitthvað annað en orðin, þau bara flækja það sem hægt er að finna.”
This line loops around itself the whole song. It translates to: “Listen to something other than the words, they only complicate what otherwise could be felt.” The song’s placement on the album takes the texts of the previous songs and says, “this is just some intellectualisation of some invisible feelings of mine, don’t take it too seriously.”

Fólk í blokk (v2,3)

The lyrics of “Fólk í blokk (v2,3)” I borrowed from the beloved Icelandic writer, playwright and
musician Ólafur Haukur Símonarson. The original song, “Fólkið í blokkinni”, describes, in a comical way, the many characters that live together in an apartment complex. How they are all struggling in their own bubble. When taking the text and putting it into this melancholic space, the context of the text reveals new layers to it. I really related to these characters and their small battles that seem big when you are inside them. Then you look at the building they all live in and see how sad and silly being human is. I also feel like, by putting this song last, you could say that I become one of the characters in the building. After singing about my own “sjálfskaparvíti” (self-made problem) – quoting the song – puts them into a visual and humorous perspective.