If it isn’t my dear old friend Friday. Nice to see you. I take it you’re doing well? Marvellous. With every new Friday that our solar-powered calendar rolls in, that means we at Grapevine HQ have got a new list of fresh Icelandic music releases for you. I can’t believe I need to clarify, but our Friday playlists are curated by an actual human — even humans! So skip all those AI-generated, random, lanky-ass playlists, because you just can’t beat the judgment and organic taste of real people.
If you never want to miss a beat — literally — follow our Spotify playlist and reset your brain.
Fríd — SEGÐU MÉR / SAMA STAÐ
Released October 11
Pop artist Fríd has been around since her 2022 debut Rebirth. Her latest split single “SEGÐU MÉR / SAMA STAД is a minimal production, relying on little more than a pulsing synth lead and Fríd’s vocals. As the first track slowly finishes, it effortlessly fades into the next, merging the two into a unified piece. On “SAMA STAД, Fríd picks up traction as the arrangement ebbs and flows within the boundaries established by the previous track. See Fríd performing at Gellufest on Ocotber 19. JB
Logi Pedro & Elvar — þú ert löngu búin að fokka þessu upp
Released October 16
On their latest release, directly translated “You’ve fucked this up a long time ago”, Icelandic-Angolan hip-hop artist Logi Pedro and rising Elvar contemplate Icelandic nightlife and the transient relationships formed in bouts of partying. While Logi needs a limited introduction, having been a part of the famed Retro Stefson troupe and Sturla Atlas, Elvar has a shorter resume. Debuting in 2022, he subsequently fronted a campaign by fashion company New Era. On þú ert löngu búin að fokka þessu upp, the pair manage to produce an emotional, forceful album, striving towards the progression of Icelandic rap. JB
Sunna Margrét — Fern
Released October 17
Serving as a companion piece to the artist’s acclaimed Finger on Tongue, Sunna Margrét continues her pathway of experimental pop on Fern. Opening up with a flurry of sounds, rhythms and textures, it seems as if Sunna is trying to reimagine elements of trip-hop and synth-pop. In a similar vein to Finger on Tongue, Sunna’s newest release is equally esoteric and otherwordly. Catch Sunna perform at this year’s Airwaves. JB
Geimverur — Geimverupopp
Released October 17
The left-field, murky world of visual artist Georg Óskar is the contextual basis for Geimverur’s debut release Geimverupopp. Having released a number of singles and the LP Worst Wait of Our Life under the moniker Scandinavian Rapture, Georg Óskar decided to switch gears. The electronica-forward Geimverupopp sounds like a strange version of Prins Póló in an alternate dimension mixed in with the ominous aura of Suicide, where the joy of creativity is king. JB
Oyama — Everyone Left
Released October 18
You can stop counting down, Oyama’s first LP in a whole decade is finally out. Firmly planting themselves into the effervescent music scene with the 2014 Coolboy, Oyama have carried the torch of shoegaze ever since. On Everyone Left, Oyama leans less on their previous influences, opting for a softer approach to their characteristic guitar sound. Still as dreamy as 10 years ago, Everyone Left is full of melancholic melodies and a passionate wave of lethargy. JB
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